As Lokis Go
by dinnae
Summary: These days, a lot of people want Loki dead. So many in fact that he's practically lost count. So it's strange then that director Fury suddenly needs his help. Stranger still that Odin lets him go back to Earth to offer said help. And strangest of all – who is systematically killing of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the New Mexico desert? Loki/OC, post TDW.
1. Return

**A/N: I actually started writing this story before my Snape/OC story _Still Waters_, but I felt this one wasn't quite ready to be published just yet. However at this point I've written quite a few chapters and I've decided to give it a go, see if anybody out there likes this stuff. Here goes:**

* * *

The pleasure was short lived.

He was back on that throne for less than a day, and in retrospect Loki could see where he'd gone wrong. He had been too soft. Given into a moment's weakness, indulged childhood memories and hopes long lost.

In short, he'd let the Allfather live. And as mistakes went, it was a big one.

Odin had been trapped in Loki's elaborate illusion for little over 22 hours before he saw through it and roared his way out like only the king of Asgard could. Had Frigga been alive he would have been out of it in less than an hour. As it was, it did still take Odin some time to spot his son's tricks.

But he did eventually. The second it happened Loki felt it. And cursed that soft spot hidden away in his heart that somehow still occasionally felt something for his adoptive family. The soft spot that had made him wrap Odin up in an exhausting (to Loki) illusion in his chambers as opposed to just killing him.

What followed next, Loki grimly acknowledged was his own doing. He knew he'd had it coming, yet its outcome tore away at him. It had been mildly humiliating, yes, to be thrown from the throne and onto the marble floors by – well, basically an _army_ of Einherjar who'd all but laid siege to the hall, and it was certainly a slightly terrifying experience to, yet again, come face to face with his father's rage in all its godly glory. Had he not been respecting his dead Queen's wishes Odin would've killed his son on the spot, Loki was sure of it. Instead Odin merely made sure the mistake he'd made all those years ago took the beating of a lifetime before once again casting him into the dungeons to rot.

Once there, Loki had to concede to the fact that he had himself to blame. He had accepted this possibility, decided it was worth the risk even – to go back and steal the throne of Asgard instead of fleeing to freedom from Svartalfheim – and yet a deep, unsettling feeling came over him as he once again took in the surroundings of his old cell.

The first few days he couldn't figure out what it was. Not disappointment, certainly not surprise … but something else.

It wasn't until the eleventh day he knew. Something was missing. He realized the discomfort he felt in his cell had nothing to do with the cell itself – he'd been there before, after all – no, the problem was that this time it was _different_. Frigga was dead. She would never visit him again, never brighten his day with her banter and her motherly affection, which he secretly craved but never truly gave into. Odin would determinedly forget his existence, and Thor … Thor was not even in Asgard anymore. Loki had seen to that himself. And though his brother was the last person he wanted to reunite with, Loki knew he still was his best hope of ever leaving this cell again.

Loki realized his feeling was one of abandonment. Of something very definitive, something final. For the first time in his life he acknowledged the possibility of never again being free. That this was, in fact, it.

He was wrong. He just didn't know it yet.

* * *

Worlds away, in the realm of Midgard – or Earth, as Nick Fury called it – a curious assembly of people were gathered on the outskirts of what looked undoubtedly like a crime scene.

Fury's gaze surveyed the individuals surrounding him, hoping against hope that somehow they would cooperate peacefully this time (even though they never did) and ideally get to the bottom of this before another intergalactic war broke lose _again_. Fury rubbed his temples. Headache coming his way. If he didn't get it from whatever next battle he would have to sort out, these people were sure to cause it anyway: Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, who looked about ready to pounce Tony Stark, and to the left of aforementioned billionaire playboy, Russian superspy Natasha Romanoff. Who'd love to pounce both of them, and Fury, by the look of it. Being dragged from undercover work by S.H.I.E.L.D. always put her in a murderous mood, and Stark was not helping matters.

"Why are we here?" he asked, sunglasses elegantly perched on his nose as he gazed towards the scorching desert sun. "Something tells me we're waiting for the rest of our entourage, but since we," he gestured at the three of them, "made it to class on time, maybe teacher can give us a quick briefing?"

He was correct, of course – Fury was waiting for the rest of the Avengers. He hated calling them in, because they were a real pain in the butt, but circumstances demanded their attention. He didn't know much yet, but this had an interstellar stink all over it. And whenever other parts of the universe was involved, Fury had learned the hard way that he might as well call in the troops sooner rather than later.

"Alright, you see what's going on over there?" said Fury, pointing towards the crime scene. White tents concealed whatever there was of any interest, but the hustle and bustle of dozens of men and women in S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms clearly revealed that whatever it was, it was important.

"CSI?" suggested Stark. Romanoff gave a small, impatient smile. Captain Rogers remained oblivious to the joke.

"Last night some drunk locals were stumbling through the desert and walked straight into this mess," said Fury. "Now we don't know what's happened, but we do know the result: We have seven casualties in those tents, all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Or agents in training," he added.

This got Romanoff's attention. "Someone's taking out S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Trying to," nodded Fury. "But these guys were all top secret, they barely existed in the real world. It's a mystery how anybody could even know they were S.H.I.E.L.D."

"What can we do?" asked Rogers.

"We need to find whoever's behind this, obviously," said Fury. "But let's just say that might require a unique approach."

"Us, you mean," said Stark. He was chewing gum. "Why?"

Fury snorted and paused for effect. "Because these guys weren't just gunned down. This sucker – whoever he, or _it_, is – means business."

He contemplated preparing them for what they soon would see, but was stopped short by a large van coming in from the highway and pulling up next to them. Agent Barton climbed down from the driver's seat and Dr Bruce Banner exited the passenger seat, squinting up at the sun as he straightened his scruffy shirt. The sight of Dr Banner – who always unnerved Fury for obvious reasons – was however nothing compared to the curious sight of the Norse god climbing out from the back seat, clad in armour, enormous hammer in hand. Following close behind him came the astrophysicist Jane Foster. She could be useful, Fury remembered she'd been involved in the hell that broke lose in London just a few months ago.

"Look who we picked up on the way over here," said Banner lightly, gesturing towards Thor and Foster.

"Now you have us all here, you've got our attention – for the most part," said Stark to Fury. "How about you show us what's up?"

Fury nodded and led the way. They approached the white tents, passing the various ones rigged for the forensics team and reached the largest tent in the middle. Fury paused and glanced back at his strange group of super agents. He shook his head and wished, not for the first time in the last year, that he'd chosen a different line of profession.

Then he drew a deep breath and led the way into the tent. The group followed suit.

The seven dead S.H.I.E.L.D. agents lay as they had been found, forming a star with their bodies, heads gathered at the centre. Fury waved away the forensic examiners and allowed his posse of intergalactic soldiers a closer look. They all stepped forwards to take in the scene, and Fury took a moment to examine it again himself.

His gaze first fell on the two female agents, whose skin colour was so pale it was almost blue. Yes, bodies turned cold when life left them, but not _this_ cold. Frost smoke still surrounded their bodies, and the ground on which they lay was frozen. Even if they'd been kept frozen after their deaths before being brought here, hours spent in the scorching New Mexico desert should have thawed them. But no, they were still as cold as icicles.

The next two agents, male, looked even worse. Their uniforms had suggested they were S.H.I.E.L.D., and a DNA sample had confirmed it, but otherwise Fury wouldn't have believed it. They looked ancient. Like they were both well over a hundred. It was too early for a coroner's report, but Fury would bet his eye patch that they had died from old age. Despite the fact that both these agents, according to their IDs, were in their early 40s.

The last three agents didn't look as bad as the first. They were pale and bloated, but at first glance it didn't seem as though anything too inhuman had befallen them, unlike the first four. That was, until Fury had been told they all had lungs filled with water. Salt water. They'd drowned. Hundreds of miles from the sea, they had somehow drowned in salt water.

"Well, this is one sick son of a bitch." Tony Stark was the first to comment.

"It's a message," said Romanoff. "A warning to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Undoubtedly," said Fury, "but who's the sender?"

"Anyone we know?" asked agent Barton, glancing at Thor. He shook his head.

"Not this time," he said. "Loki is back in my father's dungeons, I know this for a fact. And this," he gestured towards the bodies, "is not in the style of my brother's talents."

"If that's what you want to call it," said Banner.

"So we're obviously dealing with a very twisted mind," said Captain Rogers, turning to Fury. "Someone who's got it in for S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm guessing you probably have lots of enemies … any ideas?"

Fury shook his head. "But I've long suspected we've only seen the beginning of our troubles with other worlds. Who knows where this bastard's coming from, but somehow I doubt he's from Earth."

"Well," said Stark, tipping his head from side to side, "it _could_ technically be done by a human. I mean, I could do this. Given time and, you know, bothering to."

"So we're looking for the evil version of Tony Stark," said Banner. "Hope he likes to show off as much as you do."

"Can't imagine."

"No," said Thor. Something in his voice stopped the banter completely, and everyone's heads turned towards him. He had stepped into the centre of the human star and was now gazing at something on the ground that Jane Foster had pointed out to him.

"This is not a human's doing," said Thor, crouching between the two frozen agents and letting his hand hover above something on the ground. They all took a step closer. Fury walked up between the frozen women and bent down at Thor's side. Only now did he spot the drawing that had been etched into the ground – sand had blown across it, covering it, but Thor had brushed the sand away to reveal a small symbol that all the heads of the victims pointed towards.

It was simple: Two parallel lines, the right one slightly shorter than the left one, jointed at the top by a third line, making it look kind of like a child's drawing of a house with a crooked roof.

"Thor," said Fury. "You know what this is?"

"_Futhark_," said Thor. Then, noting Fury's confused look, he added, "Runes."

"That's a letter?" said Romanoff, stepping closer. "What letter?"

"It is Ur," said Thor, standing back up. "Used similarly to your modern letters U, Y, O and V. These runes are ancient. To my knowledge, no one on Midgard use them anymore."

"But Asgardians do?" said Fury.

Thor nodded. "Of course. It is our alphabet."

"I think someone wants to talk to you, big guy," said Stark, clapping Thor on the shoulder. "So yeah, I'm in." He turned to the group. "And I don't know about you, but whatever Conan here says, I'm putting my money on our old friend with the king complex."

"Agreed," said Barton.

"No," said Thor firmly. "This is not Loki. If we assume the rune stands for a name, there are not many suspects to choose from in Asgard. But …" He hesitated, and Foster grabbed him by the arm.

"What is it?" she said.

"_Útgarða-Loki_," he said.

"English?" said Banner.

"Loki of the Outyards," said Thor. "An old frost giant king in Jotunheim. But he has not been heard from for centuries. He is believed to be dead."

"And this is his calling card?" asked Fury, pointing at the rune on the ground.

"I do not know," said Thor. "But he is a frost giant." At those words, he gestured at the two frozen women in the circle, and Fury got the point.

"What would he want with S.H.I.E.L.D.?" asked Romanoff. "And why now?"

"I don't know," said Thor. "Utgard-Loki was at peace with Asgard for centuries, and he took no part in the conflict between my father and Laufey. Like I said, I do not even know if he is still alive. However, if it is him … " He hesitated. "Frost giants are not to be underestimated."

"You don't say," said Fury with a raised eyebrow. "I can only imagine what sort of hell's gonna break lose if we don't stop this. Whatever message he's sending, it's only the beginning, and this Utgard-Loki character is definitely the first one I want crossed off my list. Whatever he wants – if he's behind all this – I wanna know right away. How can we find him?"

Thor sighed and took a step back from the corpses. He looked around at his team members and seemed hesitant to speak, though Fury could tell he obviously had something in mind.

"Well?" said Captain Rogers.

"I met Utgard-Loki but once," said Thor. "I do not know him well. After our recent troubles with Jotunheim my father would never seek to make contact with him. I would not know where to start."

Fury suspected he knew where this was headed. "But you know someone who do?"

Thor nodded. "There was someone who spent many a day with Utgard-Loki back when we were at peace with Jotunheim," he said. "They were never friends, but … Yes, they knew each other well. He knew Utgard-Loki better than anyone in Asgard."

"Let me guess," sighed Captain Rogers.

Thor nodded. "Utgard-Loki's namesake. My brother."

"Former wannabe-ruler of Earth," said Stark, eyebrow cocked. "Awesome."

* * *

A mile or so from the crime scene, by the nearest highway, stood a parked truck. In the front seat sat a woman with binoculars, her gaze fixated on the large white tent in the middle of the desert. With a smile on her face she picked up her mobile phone.

"Well," she said, "we got their attention."

* * *

Hope poked its deceitful, disillusioned head out of hiding a few weeks after his imprisonment began. From where he was, Loki had a hard time keeping up with the going ons in Asgard. None of the guards would ever even acknowledge him, let alone bring him news. He was, for the most part, kept in the dark. Imprisoned not only by magic walls, but by solitude. A solitude that kept eating away at him, slowly gnawing its way to irreparable damage.

Still, when Thor came back, _everybody_ knew. Even Loki.

Whispers – no, loud, excited cheers – of his return made it all the way to the dungeons, and Loki prowled the length of his cell trying to pick up any details from passing gossiping guards. They chatted away about their favourite prince and seemed to have momentarily forgotten Loki's presence. He eagerly listened in on every conversation; still the purpose of Thor's return eluded him. There was no talk of war, no grand enemy that needed to be defeated, all that Loki heard was their incessant praise. After a whole day of pointless eavesdropping he slumped into a chair and accepted that this particular bit of uplifting Asgard news held nothing of importance to him.

Or so he believed, until Thor came to see him.

He was surprised, he even admitted it to himself. After the stunt he'd pulled after Svartalfheim he would have expected that Thor wanted to keep as big a distance from him as Odin did, if not bigger. He couldn't imagine what Thor could possibly have to say to him. And it intrigued him to no end.

So when his adoptive brother entered the dungeons he forwent the plan of presenting him with an illusion, instead giving Thor the peace offering of Loki in the flesh. Wearing his traditional black-green-gold leather armour, Loki slowly approached the edge of his cage, his glittering icy eyes catching Thor's apprehensive blue ones.

"Brother, dear," said Loki, throwing his arms out in mock greeting. He gave Thor a wide grin. "It's been too long."

Thor stepped closer – their faces inches apart on separate sides of the magical barrier – and set his face in a hard scowl. For a moment none of them spoke, and Loki searched his brother's face for answers. For a purpose. For, perhaps, the chance of maybe leaving this cell again.

"I truly believed you tried to redeem yourself." It was Thor who finally spoke first, voice laden with disappointment.

Loki took a step back, feigned hurt in his eyes. "I did," he said, silently wondering if it might even be true, "and I kept my end of our agreement, as I recall."

Thor snorted derisively.

"I even saved your Jane," added Loki.

"And what of what you did to father?" said Thor. "Capturing him in an illusion, stealing the throne … Letting me think you died that day," he added.

Loki merely shrugged. It had seemed a good plan at the time.

"This is why," said Thor, almost more to himself it seemed, "I got father's blessing when I chose not to take the throne that day. When I chose Jane, and the realms, over rule. It was you."

Loki smiled apologetically. "You must admit it would have been easier for me to rule Asgard disguised as father if you were not here."

Thor grunted. "I am surprised you didn't attempt to kill him. You have sunk so low it would not have shocked me."

"Yes, that is my biggest regret," said Loki, revelling in his brother's ever escalating righteous anger.

"You disgrace your family," said Thor. "You disgrace mother."

"And yet you come here," snapped Loki, his anger flaring at the mention of their dead mother, "yet _you_ come to _me_." His face was as close to the barrier as he could get without touching; this time around his cell now gave him a rap on the wrist in the form of an electric shock whenever he made contact. An extra safety precaution, no doubt, and the potential harm it would cause Loki was just the icing on the cake for Odin.

Thor stepped back. He nodded, but he didn't speak. Loki's anger was replaced with curiosity; the nod meant "yes" – yes, Thor had come for a reason, but somehow couldn't bring himself to say what it was. Which suggested to Loki that he needed something. Something which – fingers crossed – would allow Loki to momentarily leave the cell again. And then, hopefully, never return. He'd learnt his lesson now; if he got out of there he would never go back to Asgard again. Screw the throne, all he wanted was freedom.

For now, at least.

"Please, whenever you're ready," said Loki, stepping back from the barrier. "As you are no doubt aware, I have _all_ the time in the world."

Thor shot him an angry glare.

"You know I would not come to you if I had any other choice."

"I know," confirmed Loki eagerly.

Thor hesitated a final moment more before he stepped closer again, conspiratorially. "There has been an attack on our human allies. S.H.I.E.L.D. Something … not of their world."

"But of ours, no doubt," mused Loki. "Tell me, who was the first to suggest it must be my doing? I can imagine the one with the bow and arrow must have been pretty eager to place blame."

"I assured them it could not have been you," said Thor, gesturing to the cell. Loki snorted. Thor continued, "But it points to us. Or rather, to our enemies."

Intrigued, Loki flashed his white teeth and said softly, "I wonder what our dear Allfather thinks of that."

Thor stared at the floor.

"Oh, you haven't told him," beamed Loki. "Very interesting. Does he even know you are down here now, talking to me?"

"Yes," said Thor quickly. "I have no secrets from him."

"Give it time," said Loki, remembering the way Thor had basically committed treason to get them to Svartalfheim. Thor seemed to remember it as well, and for a moment the ghost of a smile was at his lips as he too, undoubtedly reminiscing the countless times they'd been mischievous together in their youth. Then it vanished and his angry, apprehensive scowl returned.

"Seven S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were murdered," said Thor, returning to the matter at hand. From a satchel on his shoulder he pulled out several pieces of paper, holding them up for Loki to inspect.

"Oh, you brought pictures," he smirked. "How quaint."

He studied the dead mortals, gaze flickering from one corpse to the next. No, this work was most decidedly not human. It wasn't a particularly pleasant sight, though the dead S.H.I.E.L.D. agents did bring a nostalgic smile to his face. Just as he spotted the symbol in the middle, Thor spoke.

"The rune Ur was written on the ground within the circle of bodies."

Loki frowned. "Útgarða-Loki," he simply said.

"So he uses this rune, then?" said Thor, gesturing to the photograph.

Loki inclined his head. "He used to. He is dead now, is he not?"

"You know better than I," said Thor, resentment evident in his voice. Loki knew his brother had never tolerated the years he spent visiting Jotunheim during their truce, but the truth was the frost giants did know how to throw a good party. And Utgard-Loki had been civil enough to tolerate on more occasions than Loki dared count. Yes, they'd definitely had their fair share of adventures together, back in the day. Back before Loki had ever known he was one of them. Fate had a sense of irony.

"It's been quite a while," said Loki, "and honestly, nowadays everybody knows more than I do, given my current situation."

"But you know where he made his home," said Thor. "Where he would be likely to be today, if he were still alive. You would recognize it if these murders were his doing."

Loki shrugged. "Possibly."

"Well?" Thor looked impatiently at him.

"Would you like me to draw you a map?" scowled Loki and started prowling his cell again. "I do not owe you any favours, brother. The last one I agreed to nearly cost me my life."

"In exchange for redemption," said Thor, "or so I believed."

"How little you know me after all," snarled Loki.

"I cannot spring you from this cell, you know this," said Thor, obviously finally understanding what the hostility was really all about.

"Then we are done here," said Loki.

Thor hesitated for a moment, then nodded resolutely and left the dungeons. Loki's gaze lingered in his direction long after he'd gone, their conversation making the wheels in his head turn. He had definitely believed Utgard-Loki was dead. He couldn't remember the last time anyone had heard from – or of – him, and Loki himself hadn't seen him for at least a hundred years. It was a puzzle, then, that he should suddenly decide to still be alive and go on a killing spree on Midgard. Utgard-Loki wasn't Laufey, he didn't care about victory or honour, he just wanted to drink and have fun. And to own land, of course, and to be rich. But he didn't, to the best of Loki's knowledge, lust for power. So why would he attack S.H.I.E.L.D.? How could he even know what S.H.I.E.L.D. was?

Still, he had used the rune, it had been his signature. Writing it on the ground in the middle of the dead agents would have been as close to leaving a calling card as Utgard-Loki could have come, and yet … Loki frowned, thinking that there was something about the whole picture that didn't quite add up. Something he couldn't put his finger on.

But as he gazed towards the doors Thor had exited not long ago, he knew he needn't worry. Because his brother was just as baffled as he was, and knowing Thor, his quest for the truth – and justice – would find a way to free Loki from this cell yet.

* * *

**Alright, so: ****I do love angst-Loki. I've read lots of great angst stories and I'm always on the lookout for those – and back in my days of writing Harry Potter SS/HG fanfiction (on Ashwinder) I even wrote angst myself. But the thing is I _love_ the opportunistic, sarcastic and seemingly almost unbreakable Loki from the movies. Madness and desperation just below the surface, yes, but so far he's remained intact. I've tried to write a story about _that_ Loki, not the defeated one I so often read about (and love!) in other stories. Hopefully I do him justice.**

**About Loki constantly referring to Thor as "brother": He does this in the movies. Even in _The Dark World_, despite everything. So I've decided to let him stick to that habit. Imagine him saying it dripping with scorn and resentment.**

**And finally, about Utgard-Loki and the frost giants: I've taken some liberties here. In the movies (and probably in the comics) Jotunheim seems incredibly barren and hostile, but the fact is in the old Norse stories the gods frequently ventured there, and even socialized with the giants – despite also hating them and fighting them. So I've based some of my story on _that_ Jotunheim, and on the idea that long before the war with Laufey the Asgardians and Jotunheim had a truce, and during that truce the gods would sometimes go to Jotunheim as they would to Vanaheim or Alfheim. Additionally I've ignored the fact that the frost giants immediately cause harm to Asgardians if they touch them – this simply doesn't fit with the original mythology, and it kind of messes with the plot of my story. So, just so you know: In this story, the frost giants can _choose_ whether or not they cause harm (or in Loki's case, reveal the truth) by touching the Asgardians. Makes sense? Sure, why not.  
**

**Well. _Long_ author's note. Will try to make those shorter from now on. Especially if you review. I'll be good if you'll be good.**


	2. Opportunity

She looked down at their handiwork. Not bad.

Her partner in crime was thorough, she had to give him that. He took his time, delicate and deliberate, like it was an art form. The costumes he had insisted she put on two of the victims were almost ruining the image. Made it look less significant than it in fact was.

He stood from the scene and straightened, content with the result. He then gave her a quick nod, signalling that it was time for them to leave. He didn't wait for her response, but turned briskly around and started walking back towards the truck.

She did follow him, without question. But only after she'd altered a minor detail in their artwork. She made sure he didn't look back as she bent down and removed, then added, a prop. There. _Much_ better.

Turning around she quickly followed her associate and jumped up into the driver's seat. She turned the key and put the truck into drive, stomped on the gas pedal and sent dust flying as they quickly sped up down the highway.

* * *

"You call yourself protector of the Nine Realms. Well, protect them!"

It wasn't going well. Thor caught himself unconsciously almost cowering behind Fury as the director went to town with Odin Allfather. The mere fact that Odin had even allowed Fury to come to Asgard spoke volumes. It showed how strong their alliance had become, showed how Odin slowly had started to regard the humans as friends rather than little wards. However now Thor was wondering whether it didn't in fact make matters worse. Within five minutes of Fury's arrival in the hall Odin had already managed to insult him on levels too numerous to count.

"I am protecting them," said Odin, voice almost eerily calm. "Did I not send my heir and only son to aid in your troubles? Have I not allowed him to stay on Midgard despite the fact that his place is here – and in time, on this throne?"

"If I recall correctly, the first time you sent him to us wasn't for our benefit," said Fury.

Odin interrupted before Fury had a chance to continue. "I am sorry for the deaths of your men. But it is not my concern. Jotunheim is no longer mine to command, I cannot give you what you seek even if I wanted to. And," he added, "Útgarða-Loki is dead."

"Are you sure?" asked Fury, adding for good measure, "Sir?"

Odin caught Thor's eye, and in that moment Thor was certain his father knew what their plan of action was. Odin and Thor both knew Odin wasn't the one in Asgard who had known Utgard-Loki the best.

Odin's gaze flickered back to Fury. He looked almost amused.

"You never learn, Midgardian," he said.

Fury clearly also realized that by now everybody present knew who was being discussed, but whose name was very deliberately not being mentioned. Fury took a step forward and said, "We will take every necessary precaution. We know how dangerous he is, we know …"

"Enough!" shouted the Allfather. Fury stepped back.

"You dare to presume you can ask this of me?" whispered Odin.

"Father," began Thor, but the look his father sent him shut him up.

"He should be dead," said Odin. "He should be punished in all ways we know how, and then again. He is only alive thanks to the memory of Frigga. To even suggest this in my halls is an insult too great to measure."

"Your son is the only one who might be able to help us," said Fury.

"My _son_!" snarled Odin, spit flying, "gave up the rights to call himself that! He is no longer a member of this family! He is fated to spend the rest of his days in that dungeon. Even _that_," his anger practically radiated from the throne, "is too good for him."

"Considering 'the rest of his days' is still quite a while," said Fury, "what's the harm in letting me borrow him for a week?"

Thor inwardly groaned at Fury's rude manner, but to his surprise, the Allfather didn't go on another raging rant. Instead he looked at Thor, his face surprisingly mild for the first time in weeks.

"My son," he said, "you are our representative on Midgard, you are its protector. And you support this plan of action?"

"I do, father," said Thor without hesitation. He stepped forward. "Loki will try his tricks, and he will attempt to escape. But he did aid me in Svartalfheim. It is possible he even saved my life, and he did save Jane's. He kept his end of the bargain that time. And this time," he said, fighting to keep himself from flashing the smallest of smiles as he added, "if he dies again, I will still bring the body back to your dungeons."

There was truth behind Thor's joke, and in all honesty he said it partly to reassure Odin and partly to reassure himself. Whenever Loki was concerned, Thor always found himself questioning his own reasoning. No matter how many times Loki disappointed him, betrayed him, every time they reunited Thor felt that naïve flicker of hope reappear. The ember of possibility that maybe this time, finally, Loki would again become the brother he had once known.

And after the events on Svartalfheim – after Loki risked his life, almost died, saving Jane – Thor felt now more than ever that he had to watch himself. Because Loki had, despite having stolen the throne from the Allfather, kept his word. He had helped Thor, as promised, saved Jane although he didn't have to, and in the end he had stolen the throne, yes, but he had done so without harming Odin. Thor had to watch his hope. It was growing too fast.

"Look, we wanna keep him behind bars as much as you do," said Fury to Odin. "But if this frost giant is attacking S.H.I.E.L.D., then what we've seen is only the beginning. We need to know what we're up against. I wouldn't even have considered this if Loki hadn't done what he did for Thor on the Dark World. The fact is the only one who can possibly find this Utgard-Loki is your … prisoner," he said, correcting himself just in time.

Odin was quiet for a while. Thor didn't dare even to look at him. Then the Allfather finally spoke, in an almost melancholy voice.

"You are correct in assuming Loki is the only one who can help you," he said. "Is it not ironic, all his time spent in Jotunheim when we were at peace? Perhaps I should have told him then. Perhaps that would have made a difference." He became distant, as though reminiscing, for a moment. Then he nodded. "I will allow him to assist you. You will have your week, director Fury, and you will have it because Útgarða-Loki, if he the man behind this and if you find him, will take care of Loki for me."

Thor gave his father a disapproving look.

"However," continued Odin as Fury was about to speak, "I expect you to do whatever needs to be done to ensure the prisoner does not escape."

"Oh, don't worry," said Fury. "We'll to keep a close eye on him."

* * *

"You've got to be joking."

Loki approached the barriers of his cell with an amused and simultaneously repelled look. He knew that man by his strut alone, by his righteous way of carrying himself, carrying that … _ridiculous_ costume. Loki couldn't even imagine the sight of Captain America marching through the halls of Asgard, yet here he was, in front of his very cell.

"Believe me, I'm not happy to see you either," commented the Captain.

Following close behind him came Thor and … that man with the eye patch. Loki couldn't remember his name. But he did remember that this man – like most others – was no fan. Which in turn made him wonder how serious this business on Midgard was. He couldn't imagine why Odin would even let these humans come to Asgard, much less visit him in the dungeons. He observed them quietly as they lined up in front of his cell, all looking very purposeful. They came with a mission.

"Loki," said Thor, clearing his throat and introducing the men as if at a palace party, "this is director Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D., and you remember Captain Rogers …"

"Now, listen to me, you sick fuck," said Fury. The man certainly cut to the point. "Thor has told me that you are willing to help us find this Utgard-Loki character. The one who's been killing my men back on Earth."

"You sound certain," commented Loki.

"Certain enough to wanna find him," countered Fury. "Now, I'm not stupid. I know the only reason you'd be helping is because you want out of this cell. To try another one of your world domination schemes, no doubt. I'm just saying this so you know, off the bat, that _I_ know what you're up to. And I won't hesitate to have you killed if you step even a toe out of line."

Loki couldn't help but grin. "I'm fascinated by this delusion you have that you believe you can kill me."

"You'd be surprised how hard I'd be willing to try," said Fury.

"Loki," said Thor. "You said to me you would help us find out if Utgard-Loki was behind this if you were freed of this cell. Now, you know this is not a permanent arrangement. This is like the last time: You are under our watch as you help us, and when we are finished you return here."

"If you say so," shrugged Loki.

"He doesn't mean it," said the Captain.

"Oh, this one's a real genius, he's a keeper," said Loki.

"Look, we all know everybody's motives," said Fury. "So let's be plain with each other: The longer you cooperate with us, the longer you get to stay out of this cell. The longer you'll think you'll have your chance to escape – though you won't," he added, gaze intent. "So it's a win-win for everybody, right?"

"And Odin agreed to this?" asked Loki, looking at Thor.

Thor hesitated. "Yes," he said. "He believes … you are the one who can find Utgard-Loki, if he is still alive."

"And if he is alive," said Loki, "he will very likely try to kill me when we find him."

Thor frowned, and it was clear to Loki that something had been mentioned of this earlier as well; it was not news to his brother. So. That meant Odin knew about Loki's final, unfortunate confrontation with Utgard-Loki. And he clearly hoped the frost giant would take care of Odin's little problem – that being Loki's continuing existence. Letting Utgard-Loki kill Loki would have Odin's desired result without having to dishonour Frigga's wishes. Clever.

"Do we have a deal?" said Fury.

Loki glanced at the Captain. "Is this to be my bodyguard?"

"No," said Thor. "I am. But he is helping."

Loki inclined his head, remembering his encounter with Captain America in Germany. They apparently believed he had some advantage when it came to Loki, some kind of skill that could be useful. Had they already forgotten that Loki let himself get caught that day on purpose? Loki leaned in closer and caught the Captain's gaze. Glared at him with his best "crazy megalomaniac" look and tried to freak him out. To his credit, the Captain didn't waver.

"Alright, there's no point to these games," said Fury. "We both know you will accept the deal, because anything is better than hanging around in this cell waiting to die in a thousand years time."

Loki snapped him a nasty look first but realized that kind of attitude wasn't to his advantage at that moment. Fury was right, after all. So Loki grinned, throwing his arms out. "I'm all yours, gentlemen."

* * *

The curious party of four – Thor, the Captain, Fury and Loki with his hands in chains, just like old times – were transported back to Midgard through Bifrost, and the second they landed in the New Mexico desert Loki reminisced to the last time he'd been there. When he'd futilely attempted to lift Mjolnir off the ground. It hadn't been surprising, but still. Imagining what the outcome would've been if he'd have been worthy put a huge grin on his face as they made their way to a large compound straight ahead. The houses were small and anonymous, seemingly perfectly ordinary, but of course big secrets hid beneath the surface. This was S.H.I.E.L.D. after all – if Loki ever had a worthy adversary on Midgard, it was this lot. Whenever they cooperated with the Avengers, of course. S.H.I.E.L.D. on its own was not a challenge.

Still, someone out there – Utgard-Loki? – believed them to be a big enough of a threat to go after them. That was the part Loki didn't get. Why go after S.H.I.E.L.D., why bother? The Avengers, possibly; Asgardians, certainly, but S.H.I.E.L.D.? That, Loki decided, was the important question. A question he caught himself pondering despite the fact that his mind was already searching for an opportunity to escape.

They made their way into the largest building on the compound, through extensive and invasive security checks and, in Loki's case, through a decent amount of stares meant to kill. The S.H.I.E.L.D. employees didn't say anything to him – well-behaved puppies that they were – but he could feel them hating him. It gave him a rush and he made sure to smile at as many of them as he could. As soon as they passed security they made their way to a large steel elevator, taking them deep into the ground below. It was the Captain who operated the controls and it took him a minute to even figure out which floor they were headed to.

"So far he's been invaluable," said Loki, unable to resist. It earned him a painful nudge in the shoulder from Thor.

The elevator hurled them a good way down and Loki idly wondered about the extent and power of this organisation. Infiltrating it surely would've been the easiest way to take Midgard. But then, although he was prone to elegant subtlety, that would've taken too long for Loki's tastes.

They reached their destination and the elevator doors opened. Before them Loki saw a large room, bustling with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and employees all in a great hurry, getting about business they obviously thought extremely important. It all looked somewhat ridiculous to Loki. There were desks and advanced workstations, clearly a command centre of some sort. Fury stepped forward and with a glare, dared anyone to comment on Loki's presence.

"Director," said a female voice, and second later an agent had reached them, the urgency of her step suggesting that she came bearing important news. She shot Loki a quick glance but her gaze didn't linger. Instead she turned to Fury.

"Hill," he said. "What is it?"

"Another attack," she stated. "Just a few miles from the first."

"More agents?" asked Fury.

"Six," said the one who was called Hill. "You … you really should see them, sir. It's … well, it's definitely a message, like agent Romanoff said."

Fury nodded, turning back to face Loki. "Alright, this is where you prove yourself useful."

* * *

Soon they were out in the open again, heading down the dusty highway in a large, black van. Loki sat in the back, hands still cuffed, one bodyguard on each side of him. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Their suspicions were justified, of course, he _did_ plan to escape, but not within minutes of arriving. He needed time to come up with a plan. Not to mention he was actually a bit curious about these murders. If it indeed were Utgard-Loki's doing, seeing the crime scene would be like reuniting with an old friend. Before said friendship went to Hel, of course.

They arrived a few minutes later. All over the area were large, white tents with agents and humans in white coats busy with work. Loki made a mental note that on the way there they had passed something similar. He figured that had been the location of the first killing spree, the one he had seen pictures of.

They all climbed out of the van and approached the largest of the tents. Still S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were glaring at Loki as he passed, but none of them said a word.

"I've certainly made some friends," said Loki.

"Yeah, I'd sleep with one eye open if I were you," said the Captain.

"Oh no, I shall sleep like the dead tonight," said Loki, pun intended, "knowing my faithful bodyguards will be on watch."

"Hey, if you think –"

"Enough of that," snapped Fury. They'd entered the tent, and he clearly demanded some respect for the dead. Even more so, figured Loki, when they all saw what the dead looked like.

There were six this time, not seven. And the message was clear: They were definitely S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, dressed in uniform, five men and one woman. Two of the men had clearly been drowned, another two were burned beyond recognition and the final two – one man and the one woman – were frozen. Except for the two burned victims the scene was quite similar to what Loki had seen in the pictures from the first murders. However there was another, vital difference: The two frozen agents were dressed up. In costumes, one could almost say. The woman – who originally was blonde – was wearing a ruffled, red wig, shoulder length. It looked almost comical. And the man … was wearing an eye patch.

Fury leaned in close and didn't speak for a moment. The gravity of the unspoken threat lay heavy in the tent, and even Loki decided it was a good idea not to tempt the fates with a snappy comment. Fury was his jailor, after all, he'd do wise not to step out of line just yet.

"Has agent Romanoff seen this?" asked Fury.

"She's on her way," said Hill. "We haven't … described it to her yet."

Fury nodded. "Well, make sure she sees it first hand."

"Is that a good idea?" asked the Captain. "Won't that scare her?"

"Have you _met_ agent Romanoff?"

Loki took the opportunity to step closer to the corpses, taking in every detail. Yes, definitely dead. And the two with the costumes were definitely frozen to death, and somehow still frozen, despite the desert's horrid heat that made Loki's armour incredibly uncomfortable to wear. The six victims formed a star, just like last time. And in the centre there was, of course, the rune again. Ur.

"Well?" said Thor, approaching Loki. "Is it Utgard-Loki?"

"One quick look and you think I can know for certain?" snapped Loki. Then he added, "It could be. It's certainly done in his taste. And the signature is unmistakably one he used."

"So," said Fury, "how come everybody says this guy's dead? Seems alive and kickin' to me."

"He hasn't been heard from for more than a century," said Thor. "And he was not on good terms with Laufey. When Laufey took control of Jotunheim it was natural to assume they had a falling out. I would not have put it past Laufey to have killed him."

"What do you mean, 'it's done in his taste'?" asked the Captain.

Loki raised an eyebrow. He caught that. Interesting.

"Well," said Loki, "two of them are frozen. Very frost giant."

Fury snorted. "You better come up with something better than this, or I'll have you back in that cell by the end of the day."

Loki glared at him and started circling the corpses. He had a sneaking suspicion. "Might I see the pictures from the first attack again?"

Agent Hill, surprisingly, obliged quickly and without question. She handed Loki the pictures and he studied them – somewhat clumsily; handling the pile of photographs was difficult with his hands cuffed together.

"Well," he said, a huge grin spreading across his face as he finally recognized what had been tickling his memory.

"What?" snapped Fury.

Loki looked at him, almost laughing. This was _too_ good. "You actually did not even need me for this," he said, "you could have asked Thor. He could have told you the significance of the particular … _technique_ used here."

Fury turned to Thor. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

Thor stepped forward, outraged. "No!" he said, eyes fixed on Loki. He was being sincere. Loki gave a look of surprise – Thor actually didn't remember. Or he had suppressed said memory. Which was, in a way, even better. Loki would happily refresh it for him.

"Do you really not recall, brother? Or is the memory simply to embarrassing to acknowledge?" said Loki, approaching Thor with slow, calculated steps. Not too close; he suspected what he was about to remind Thor of would cause quite the scene. He wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of his brother's anger.

"Quit your games, brother," said Thor through clenched teeth.

Loki gave a small, mocking bow and turned to face his audience – Fury, Hill and the Captain. Thor hovered testily in the background.

"My brother has told you that only I associated with Utgard-Loki back during the truce. Well, that's not quite true. Thor did spend one fateful evening with us," said Loki, "an evening he has clearly chosen to forget. Not surprisingly, after all you did lose spectacularly in every contest," he added with a glance in Thor's direction.

"I'd talk faster if I were you," said Fury, his hand on the gun at his hip and his patience at its end.

"During the truce with Jotunheim Thor and I occasionally went there hunting, and once we stumbled across Utgard-Loki's home," said Loki. "He offered us shelter and food, as was customary, and threw a huge feast in our honour."

A groan from Thor suggested he was remembering now.

"Utgard-Loki also challenged us to a series of contests," continued Loki. "Eating contest, drinking contest … the usual. We lost every one of them, to Utgard-Loki's delight. He even took pity on Thor and challenged him to lift his cat – Thor couldn't even do that," he smirked. "Thor, enraged, demanded to show his strength in a wrestling match. Utgard-Loki let him wrestle his mother, Elli … and it nearly cost Thor his life. Needless to say we did not leave in high spirits," he finished with a wink in Thor's direction.

"Apparently you know our suspect a little better than you let us believe," said Fury with a disapproving look at Thor. "Didn't think to mention that you _partied _with him?"

The god of thunder's shoulders were slumped, defeated almost, and Loki could tell he now remembered that fateful night centuries ago. As they exchanged glances Loki could also see Thor finally understood why this particular story was important to the S.H.I.E.L.D. murders.

"The contests," he said, realization dawning. "Utgard-Loki's tricks … We did not lose," he said to his allies, "Utgard-Loki cheated. During the eating contest Loki competed with fire personified. Such an adversary is impossible to defeat. I competed in the drinking contest and the challenge was to empty Utgard-Loki's goblet. But I wasn't drinking ale, I was drinking the ocean."

Loki added, "And a good job you did too, it had actually sunk a few inches by the time you gave up."

"I did not give up, I was tricked into drinking the sea!" thundered Thor.

"The cat you tried to lift was actually Jormungandr," continued Loki, "and Utgard-Loki's mother was, in fact, _old age_." He finished this last sentence with an intense look in Fury's direction.

"Old age …" said Fury. "The sea … These murders are about those contests?"

"I would call it a … polite nod in Thor's direction," said Loki. "And in mine."

"It has to be Utgard-Loki then," said the Captain. "No question. He's sending a message to _you_, not S.H.I.E.L.D. The frozen victims – well, he's a frost giant, so that makes sense. But the drowned victims, the burned ones and those who looked like they'd suddenly turned a hundred years old … It's all a play on that contest you had with him."

"Ah, the good, old days," said Loki with a reminiscent smile. "It was fun."

"It was not fun!" roared Thor. "It was humiliating! And it was foul play. I was made a laughing stock at that feast!"

"Yes," said Loki, "as I said, fun."

"Hold on a minute," said Fury. "I get that this story and the way he tricked you is what this," he gestured towards the corpses, "is about, but what I don't get is _why_. And why am I a part of this picture?" He pointed to the body with the eye patch, then to the other one with the red wig. "Why agent Romanoff?"

Loki shrugged.

"It does not matter why!" said Thor, all impatience and muscle now, Mjolnir in hand, moving about the tent like a rabid dog in a cage looking for a way out. "We will find Utgard-Loki and bring him to justice for this! I will not be made to look like a fool, least of all by that old scum."

"Oh, please!" said Loki. "You had the time of your life at that feast, I remember. By the time we left and Utgard-Loki admitted his tricks you were laughing as hard as he was."

"Yes, well … that was innocent enough," said Thor. "But this, this is murder. This is something else entirely. And if he is using the murder of innocent humans to get to me, then I shall stop him."

"Get to you?" said Loki. "Last I remembered it was _me_ he wanted dead."

"Yeah, why is that?" asked Fury.

"Look," said Loki, carefully avoiding the question, "I agree that this all certainly points to Utgard-Loki. But is it not a bit too obvious? The rune, the references to our contest, the costumes … Isn't it all a bit much? Insistent?"

"Like someone's trying to make it _look_ like Utgard-Loki's doing?" said the Captain. Loki made a mental note not to underestimate that man.

"Who would want to frame him?" wondered Thor. "And why now, after all these years?"

"Well, he is the perfect scapegoat," said Loki. "Greedy and a trickster …"

"Sounds like someone we know," said the Captain.

"… and," continued Loki in an irritated tone, "he is, I believe, mentioned in the old Midgard books about us. Our trip to Jotunheim and the contests did make it into the tales of the 'old Norse gods', did it not?" He looked to Fury, who shrugged.

"I'm no expert," he said.

"I am," said a feeble female voice.

They all turned to see a small woman in the tent's opening. Being just a little over 5 feet tall, with glasses and messy blonde hair she seemed very out of place surrounded by tall S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Avengers and demigods. She didn't wear the S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform, but instead a white lab coat.

"Well," she said, stuttering as she stumbled a few feet into the tent, her gaze carefully avoiding the star-shaped murder scene. "I'm not an expert. Hell, no. Er, but I do know all the stories about you guys," she glanced tentatively at Loki and Thor, "I know what people up north used to believe."

"Hill, who is this?" asked Fury.

"Kelly Gustafson," said agent Hill. "Assistant to one of the new technicians. She just got security clearance a couple of weeks ago."

"Well, Gustafson," said Fury, approaching her. "You've clearly eavesdropped enough to know what we're talking about, so go on: Prove to me why I shouldn't fire your ass for sneaking in here. Is Utgard-Loki mentioned in the old Norse sagas?"

"He is," nodded Gustafson, stealing a nervous glance in Loki's direction. "That story with the contests, that one's famous, it's told in detail in _Snorri's Edda_. People up in Iceland and Scandinavia still talk about it. You know, that one, and the one where Thor lost his hammer and had to dress up like a …"

"That one is, er, false," said Thor.

"Gustafson is native to Sweden," said Hill. "As you might have figured."

"No, not me," said Gustafson. "My dad is. I was born in Chicago."

"So," said Fury, turning back to Thor and Loki, "the feast and the contests you had with Utgard-Loki were known back in old Scandinavia. And the story has survived to this day, which means someone out there could actually be trying to frame Utgard-Loki. Make him the scapegoat."

"If Utgard-Loki is dead that certainly makes more sense," said Hill.

"But who?" asked the Captain. "And why?"

"Who the hell knows," said Fury. "But I'm gonna find out."

* * *

They returned to the compound shortly after. Loki made an outward display of being bored, though in truth he was relieved that he'd so far been asked to do very little. Less time spent focusing on these crimes meant more time spent plotting his escape. And he needed that time. The scapegoat theory was perfect, that would quite possibly mean a human culprit, which would give him even more spare time. He was still curious about the nature of these crimes, and their mastermind, but nothing – not even that – was more important than his own agenda.

He had not yet decided exactly what he would do once he managed to escape. He couldn't return to Asgard and he certainly had to watch his back in the other realms – Loki was no fool, he knew the Other was still out there somewhere, expecting him to hold up his end of the bargain. Yes, the Chitauri had failed to conquer Midgard for him, but somehow Loki suspected the Other felt that he still had delivered what he'd promised. And in return he wanted the Tesseract. To say that was out of Loki's reach at the moment was an understatement. And since Loki didn't want to find out what the Other would do to him when he didn't deliver, he had to make sure he remained under the Other's radar.

They once again took the elevator down deep underground, even further this time. Loki noticed that he was never left alone, not even when he'd asked his brother politely to be allowed to take a piss, so this was obviously their strategy to avoid him disguising himself with an illusion. It was a sensible precaution, but they couldn't always be watching him. He'd find a loophole in their watch – a moment's lapse, an hour with Thor out of reach, something – and then he'd be gone. Once he'd figured out a semi sensible plan, of course.

They reached the very last floor before the elevator finally came to a halt. They entered a short hallway. Apart from back into the elevator there really was only one place to go: Into one of the two large rooms with thick glass walls. The interior in each room was simple – a bed, a desk with a chair, an armchair and a small shelf with a few books. In the right corner there was a restroom, this also had glass walls. Very, very little privacy. Loki knew why they were here.

"Welcome to your private suite," said Fury, gesturing to the room on the left. "This is where you'll be staying when we don't need you. Don't bother trying your voodoo with these walls," he tapped a finger against the glass, "they'll do everything short of electrocuting you should you try and use force. Remember the box we kept you in the last time? That was nothing compared to this."

Fury's little speech was unnecessary, Loki knew he had little chance of escaping this place without altered circumstances. He was strong in comparison to humans, but he bet they had prepared for that. Besides, with Thor there his strength was basically rendered useless. His magic – though feared by humans, certainly – was limited; despite what they believed he was no wizard. He could do illusions, tricks and manipulate magical, powerful objects, yes, but it took more than a flick of his wrist to make walls explode. Sadly. And he was hesitant about trying his magic on the electric system that made the glass walls live; he was afraid he would set it all off if he tried penetrating the walls to kill the system. That also eliminated the idea of casting an illusion outside of the glass room, lest that should also set off the system.

It had been easier the last time, what happened then had all been a part of his elaborate plan. He'd had the help of his bewitched mortal servants, his sceptre, not to mention the Hulk. This time he begrudgingly acknowledged that he was – for now at least – at S.H.I.E.L.D. and Thor's mercy.

The glass door to the left room was opened and Thor gestured for Loki to get inside. He did, quickly taking in his surroundings before turning to his captors.

"Will you not at least grant me the use of my hands?" he asked, holding up his shackled wrists. Thor, exchanging glances with Fury, reluctantly stepped forward and undid the cuffs. He then left the room and Fury closed and locked the door behind him. Loki glanced disapprovingly at his new cell. He should have seen this coming – coming here basically meant just trading one cell for another. Only difference was, this one he would escape from.

"We'll have to figure out what our next move is going to be," said Fury, his voice still easy to hear through the glass walls. "I am not losing any more agents. We'll see what the forensics' report has to say. I suggest you," he glared at Loki, "spend your time trying to remember anything useful about Utgard-Loki that might be a part of this killer's scheme."

"Well. It's not as if there's much else for me to do here," said Loki with a resentful look around.

"What?" said Fury with a nasty grin. "I brought you some books. Read."

They turned to leave, all of them, which Loki found curious. Only when the elevator doors opened and another S.H.I.E.L.D. agent appeared did he realize that they were bringing in a babysitter. It made sense, Fury wouldn't want two of his favourite pets – Thor and the Captain – stuck watching Loki climb the walls. And sadly the glass room was probably enough to keep him contained … for now. Which was why Fury settled on a bloody guard dog. But Loki suspected Thor would be just a couple of floors away, ready to swoop in should he try anything mischievous.

"This is agent Red," said Fury. "She'll take good care of you."

Fury, Thor and the Captain left, and Loki turned his attention to Red. She wasn't particularly tall, but she certainly looked fit, despite having a body that was more curvaceous than other female S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Loki had seen. Her hair was blonde, so light it was almost white, and braided at the back. Her skin was pale and freckled. She smiled.

There was a chair and a small table in the hallway outside the glass room, and Red took a seat. Her gaze never left Loki.

"You're allowed to blink, you know," he said. "It's not as if you wouldn't know it were me, should there suddenly appear a monkey in here the moment you look away."

"A monkey?" she echoed. "Go ahead. I could use some entertainment."

He raised a sceptical eyebrow at her and turned to examine his quarters – his prison – more carefully. There was a desk, but nothing to write with or on, and there were books, but all light entertainment novels. Fury was obviously mocking him. The bed looked comfortable enough, but then Loki didn't need to be comfortable. He needed to be free.

Tentatively, he sat down on the chair by the desk. He deliberately avoided the plush armchair. Then he locked his eyes on Red. Fair enough. If he were to be stuck here with nothing to entertain himself but her, then she would have to do. He turned the chair slightly towards the hallway and leaned back, knees arrogantly spread, resting one palm flat on the desk. He grinned at Red.

"Let me guess," he said. "You fought to become my … _babysitter_."

She shot him an irritated look. "I offered."

"Oh no," said Loki, "you insisted, didn't you?"

She didn't answer, which meant yes.

"I wonder why," said Loki. "Stuck down here for hours watching me while your colleagues are up there doing their _invaluable_," he almost spat the word, "work. Now, there's only one reason why you would choose that: You want to personally make sure I don't get away. Which means you're personally involved. Tell me, where did you lose a loved one? In New York? Or here, in New Mexico? Perhaps even London – I lose track of where I've made my mark," he added with a humble chuckle.

"I was told you had nothing to do with London," said Red.

"You were told wrong," he said. "Without me, Malekith never would have gotten his hands on the Aether that nearly destroyed your world. But," he added and leaned slightly forward, "London wasn't it. Where was it?"

For the first time she looked away. Only for a second.

"New York is the most likely," said Loki. "I killed the most people there."

"Yeah, and it was the last time," snapped Red.

"Oh," grinned Loki, "so it _was_ New York. Who did you lose? Who did I _kill_?"

She looked away again. Longer.

"'Don't let him get to you'," said Loki, imitating what Fury might've said if he were there are that very moment, "'don't let the prisoner get inside your head'. But I am, aren't I? They really didn't train you very well, you're practically crying already."

"I didn't lose anyone!" Red nearly shouted. She seemed mortified at her own outburst and quickly regained her composure. "Either way it doesn't matter," she added. "You'll soon be back in your own world, rotting away in a cell there instead."

"Not quite yet," said Loki. "Fury's borrowed me for a whole week. So you and I have many endless evenings of fun ahead of us, _Red_." He spoke her name as though it were poisonous. She did almost look like she was going to cry for a second, but then she caught his gaze with regained defiance.

"It won't be a week," she said. "That Utgard-Loki guy is just a scapegoat. The killer's a human. And they don't need you for that."

Loki shrugged. "Still, better safe than sorry. I'm sure Fury will keep me for as long as he can, just in case."

Red shook her head. "He won't. Believe me, I know. I overheard. He said he would send you back _today_ if he could. The second he gets more solid proof that Utgard-Loki is not the killer you'll be on the first rainbow back to where you belong."

Loki frowned and didn't speak for a moment. If that were true it could actually ruin his plans. If Fury decided to send him back to Asgard within a day or two it would all have been for nothing; he wouldn't have time to think of a plan, time to escape. He suddenly realized the killer being human _wasn't_ in his best interest.

In fact he needed it to be Utgard-Loki. Otherwise they had no real need of him.

"Finally I shut you up," said Red, but Loki wasn't listening. Without even knowing it, this daft agent had pointed out something vital: Loki had to prove that Utgard-Loki was the killer. Or at least prove that he _probably_ was. It was essential, Loki needed the extra time. On Midgard there was a chance of escape, on Asgard he was definitely doomed to that cell.

He got up and started pacing, his back turned so he wouldn't be distracted by Red glaring at him. He would have to point out something in those murders that made a human killer seem unlikely. And, he realized, he had to do it fast.

He was still imprisoned, yes, but he was _not_ going to stay that way.

* * *

**A/N: Again, did you spot my female OC? **

**Plot thickens and I'll have another chapter on the way in hopefully not too long. Oh, and yes, the story of the contests at Utgard-Loki's house is a part of the original old Norse mythology, from _Edda_, as stated by Gustafson. I'm a huge fan of the old stories so expect more references to those (especially since I don't know the Marvel universe beyond the films - but I'll stay true to the _Thor_ and _Dark World_ films, I swear).**


	3. Attack

The following morning, Thor brought Loki breakfast.

It was an absurd sight. Thor with a breakfast tray. Loki suspected this was his brother's unsubtle way of coaxing him into a more cooperative state. And Loki would take the bait; the more cooperative he seemed, the more probable it was that he could manipulate Thor into agreeing with him in regards to Utgard-Loki. He would have to play on the strings of brotherly affection.

Loki had slept for a few, short hours that night. Both when he fell asleep and when he awoke Red had been there, watching him intently. Only when Thor arrived did she stifle a yawn and leave.

"She appears unharmed," commented Thor as he opened a small hatch in the glass wall through which he pushed the breakfast tray. "Unaffected, even. You ignored her then, as opposed to tormenting her?"

"I tried tormenting," muttered Loki as he glanced sceptically at the beans and eggs, "but whenever I did she responded, and I found her voice was such a torment to _me_ that I opted for silence."

He picked up the tray and placed it on the desk. Sat down, dared a sip of bitter, black coffee and begrudgingly ate the eggs. It looked disgusting, but he was hungry. Besides, he was determined to convince Thor that he was – albeit reluctantly; he had to play his part well – becoming slightly cooperative.

Thor grabbed Red's chair and placed it close to the glass wall, sitting down to watch Loki eat.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. have finished their analysis of the bodies," he said. "Technically, it could have been done by a human. It would take a tremendous amount of work, and money, but … a human pretending to be Utgard-Loki is not impossible."

"Really?" said Loki, feigning disinterest. "What of the bodies that were still frozen? What human could make that happen, I wonder?"

"Tony Stark says he could," said Thor.

Tony Stark … Loki couldn't remember which of them that was. He figured it had to be the one in the metal armour. The owner of the building Loki had "borrowed" when he attacked Manhattan. Yes, the armour and that building was proof that Stark was a bit of a technical genius. He could even, possibly, create a device that would keep those bodies frozen in the desert. It _was_ doable for a human, Loki figured, at least theoretically, but he wasn't about to say that aloud to Thor.

"So Tony Stark is the murderer, well done," said Loki.

Thor shot him his typical, disapproving big brother-look. "Stark is not behind this. But someone of his intellect and skill is. I have agreed to stay here and assist when they find who is behind this. They might need my strength, this killer is most likely very dangerous."

Loki shoved the half eaten food away and got up. He copied Thor's earlier move and placed his chair close to the wall. Close to his brother.

"Thor," he said, "you're soft. And you know I have always liked that about you." Reminiscing, a reference to earlier, happier days. Simple, but effective. "But I think your affection for these mortals is clouding your judgment."

"How so?" Thor frowned.

"Come, now," said Loki, shaking his head and smiling. "You cannot truly believe a mere human could have done what we saw yesterday? Tell me, what sort of technical device would have kept those bodies frozen? A device they haven't yet found, I take it? And this 'Tony Stark'," he said the name as though the very mention of him was discrediting, "forgive me, but he does not strike me as the modest type."

Thor was quiet for a moment.

"You believe he's lying," he finally said. "Bragging."

Loki smiled. "I believe he would _like_ to think he could do this. But we both know this is beyond any mortal. Where were the other victims drowned? How were they transported there? Who," he added, with emphasis on the word, "could have aged those two humans I saw in the photographs?"

"Yes, the … the aging is special," nodded Thor. "I do not see how even a man like Stark could do that."

"And he somehow wants you to believe there is another human out there, just as clever as him," said Loki. "More so, even, to have pulled this off. Come on, Thor. I know you to be smarter than this."

Ah, that did it. Loki had to suppress a grin; even though Thor didn't speak the words, it was written plain as day on his face – Loki had won him over. Human killer? No chance. Utgard-Loki? Definitely.

"I am surprised," said Thor with a sceptical glance at Loki. "I would have believed you to support the scapegoat theory. That would have meant less work for you while you are here."

_Cleverly observed, brother, but I'm one step ahead of you_. Loki tried his best to look sincere.

"I … had some time to think," he said. "And I have realized you placed a lot of trust in me when you offered me to come here. You convinced Odin, you … you deserve my gratitude, not my scorn."

Thor's eyes glimmered with melancholy. "How I wish I could believe you are sincere, brother. How I wish that every time you spoke like this, you meant it."

"I will not pretend that I am not contemplating an escape," said Loki. "To lie about that would be a truly great insult to your intelligence. But when it comes to you temporarily relieving me of that cell, of the place that is to be my eternity, the place where I am haunted by mother …" he added; the pain in his voice was not fake. "That, Thor, I am grateful for. And that is the truth. And for that I will help you."

Thor nodded, seemingly content with that answer.

"So you believe this must be Utgard-Loki, then," he said. "You do realize this means a trip to Jotunheim?"

"Eventually, yes," nodded Loki. "But lets not tempt fate until we have to?"

Thor laughed, a loud, booming laugh that ricocheted off the glass walls of Loki's cell.

"Agreed," he said. "We need a plan of action first. And a confirmation of his current whereabouts. If Utgard-Loki lives I doubt he still resides in the same place he did when you last saw him."

Loki nodded. That was undoubtedly true. Mainly because the last time Loki visited Utgard-Loki was also the time his old home was completely destroyed.

* * *

Thor brought Loki's thoughts on the matter to Fury, as expected. And Fury bought it. Consequently they set Loki up in a large glass box similar to his cell. The difference was this room contained computers, equipment, whatever was needed to do the necessary research. Loki reasoned they had decided he had to be granted access should he be of any use, but obviously all his work was being supervised. Hence no technology or equipment in his cell, but only here, under watchful eyes.

Thor and the Captain still acted as bodyguards, and, to Loki's frustration, as each other's sparring partners. They were constantly in the room with him, tossing ideas back and forth, joking around even. Loki's attempts to do any useful work – reviewing the photographs from the crimes scenes, trying to remember details about Utgard-Loki from back in the old days; after all he hadn't seen him for a century – were constantly distracted by Thor and the Captain's camaraderie.

Thankfully their bonding was delayed just past noon, when Fury came storming into the room.

"Another attack," he said. "Third in three days. Whoever this is, we need to work faster."

"More S.H.I.E.L.D. agents?" asked Thor.

Fury nodded. "Five this time. In the desert. Men and women, all done in the same way as the others. Placed in a circle, the rune in the middle. And this time, one of them was dressed like you." He nodded at the Captain.

"Even I have to admit this is starting to sound a lot like me," said Loki with a humble smile.

Thor shot him an irritated look before turning to Fury. "Why fewer agents every day? There is a pattern here. Seven, six, five …"

"He's counting down," whispered Loki. They all turned to look at him.

"Counting down to what?" asked Fury. Loki had no idea.

"What day is five days from now?" asked the Captain.

Fury closed his eyes for a second, and then he nodded. "October 24th. I'm gonna find out what's so special about that date. Clearly this sick bastard has a plan. He's counting down, but I'm gonna stop him before he reaches zero." With those words he hurried from the room again, locking the door behind him as he left.

"He does have a flare for the dramatic, doesn't he?" noted Loki.

"Look who's talking," said the Captain.

"What I cannot understand is how Utgard-Loki evades detection," said Thor, sitting down across from Loki at the table. "He brings his victims to that desert each night. It is a large desert, but not that large. S.H.I.E.L.D. is obviously watching the area, and Fury has brought in the Avengers to assist. How is he doing it?"

Loki inwardly groaned at the thought of that menagerie of superheroes roaming the area. They would surely make it that much more difficult for him to escape when the time came. And Loki would prefer to avoid another run-in with the Hulk. Thor had a point, though: With people like Tony Stark watching the desert, how was it possible to pile up dead bodies there night after night without detection? Utgard-Loki was gifted with magic, but he wasn't prone to subtlety. Loki had been the one to plant the idea of a human killer in Fury's mind, then he had convinced them it was Utgard-Loki again. Now Loki wondered if it in fact could be a human after all.

"He has help," he blurted out.

"What?" said the Captain.

Loki closed his eyes, marvelling at his own lack of self-control. But he could easily turn this verbal blunder to his advantage. "Utgard-Loki has an accomplice. Someone who knows S.H.I.E.L.D.'s movements. How else would he avoid their detection?"

"Hey, he's actually being useful," said the Captain to Thor. "Have you drugged him with something?"

Loki didn't miss the spark of hope in Thor's eyes, the spark of the old brotherly love.

"We must inform Fury of this," he said. "It makes sense. They will have to search within their own ranks."

"If S.H.I.E.L.D. has a rat, we'll find it," said the Captain, and signalled for the agent on the outside of the room to let him out. He went to inform Fury, and Loki and Thor were left alone once more. Loki shot Thor a genuine smile and thus further encouraged his brother's hope.

"I am still amazed that you are so willing to assist," said Thor. "I have not forgotten, brother, how angry you were … How angry you still must be. I know you sought vengeance upon me."

Loki drew a deep breath, giving himself time to respond without displaying his emotions. He was afraid if he spoke too fast he would show Thor his true resentment, his lingering desire for said vengeance. After all that had happened that desire still fought to keep a home in Loki's mind. Thor somehow believed he had been merciful to Loki by allowing him to come to Svartalfheim and avenge their mother; he believed Loki _owed_ him. Always the proud prince, always superior. Thor thought himself so humble and benevolent. He always spoke of his brotherly love. But when did he ever really show it? When had he ever shown true, unwavering loyalty to Loki above all others, loyalty despite reason and personal gain? Never, not once. It always came with a price, came with a _deal_, ever since they were young. Back when Loki would have blindly followed his older brother to death, Thor had never once shown the same courtesy in return.

Brotherly love? He was a hypocrite.

"Sought vengeance?" said Loki, his control perfectly in place once more. "Yes, I did. And I acted on it as well, you remember? I have demanded my birthright to be king on several occasions, I grant you, but never once did I actually desire to rule _Midgard_. What glory is there in this world? What challenge is there here? You were right back then, brother, in believing I did it because of you. And because of Odin. I wanted to take, and ruin, what you had chosen to protect."

The words stung, Loki could tell. But they distracted Thor; Loki spoke in past tense, carefully avoiding the present.

"Look where it brought you," said Thor.

"Yes, it did not work out exactly as I planned," said Loki with a small smile. "But I believe I made my point."

"And are you done making it?"

Loki caught Thor's gaze. "Maybe I am."

Did Thor believe him? It was hard to tell. And for a second Loki wasn't sure if he had in fact been lying or not. This was one of those strange, recurring moments when that damn soft spot in his heart fought a raging battle with the all-consuming desire for revenge.

* * *

A few hours later, Fury and the Captain returned to the glass room. Loki had subtly been neglecting his work, pretending to work out where in Jotunheim Utgard-Loki could be hiding but really wrapping his mind around this facility and how he could escape it. And where he would go once he did.

The first problem was waiting for an opportune moment to cast an illusion. It had to be done when no one was looking, and it had to be done cleverly enough for them not to suspect. And even if he managed that, how would he escape the glass cells they constantly locked him up in? He believed Fury wasn't exaggerating about the consequences of attempting to break them with force, so Loki wasn't tempted to try that.

And even if he did manage to cast an illusion, trick them all, even his brother, and somehow escaped the compound, where would he go? He would be hunted not only by S.H.I.E.L.D. and Asgard, but by the Other as well. He had to go into hiding. He had friends, old allies, in Nornheim; they would – possibly – hide him, but how to get there? Loki didn't think Heimdall would be particularly cooperative.

He sighed and put his planning on hold as Fury cleared his throat and Loki was forced to look up. Only then did he see Fury had brought someone else with him: the short technician's assistant. Gustafson. Kimmy? No, Kelly.

"He is definitely counting down," said Fury to Loki and Thor.

"To what?" asked Thor.

Fury turned and nodded to Gustafson, who took a tentative step forward.

"To October 24th," she said. Loki rolled his eyes.

"Well, of course October 24th," Gustafson quickly added; she'd seen the eye roll and continued in a shaky voice, "but that's not the actual date that's important. October 24th – 10. 24. – it actually refers to a year. The year 1024?"

Neither Loki nor Thor were any the wiser. Loki resisted the urge to snap at her.

"You don't know?" she said. The killer look Loki shot her clearly told her he didn't, so she continued, "Well, that's the year Olaf II officially introduced Christianity to Norway. The year he included it in their laws."

Loki frowned. That, simultaneously, meant that was the year Norway stopped acknowledging him and the other Asgardians as deities. The year the old Norse religion was killed off for good and slowly became mythology and legend. A further consequence of which was that the frost giants, who'd been the stuff of horror stories and nightmares back then, were forgotten on Midgard as well.

"Well, what does this mean?" asked Thor. Of course he'd been staring dumbly at Gustafson, waiting for her to explain what Loki already had deduced in his mind: Whoever was behind all of this was using October 24th as a reference to that fateful year when the old religion died in Norway. Which meant this killer apparently was a fan of the old religion and enraged that the old Norse gods had been forgotten. Or … that the frost giants had been forgotten.

"Someone – most likely Utgard-Loki – wants us to remember that year," said Fury. "The year Christianity officially took over in Norway. The year you guys," he nodded at Loki and Thor, "ceased being gods."

"That year, coincidentally, signifies the frost giants' descent into legend as well," said Loki. "Humans back in those days feared the frost giants, they believed we would save them from the likes of creatures like Laufey and Utgard-Loki. Once Christianity took hold the frost giants were forgotten, became superstition and were effectively …" He shrugged. "Rendered harmless."

"Well then, this Utgard-Loki sure knows how to hold a grudge," said the Captain. "And it doesn't explain why now – why do this now, after all these years? And he was at peace with the Asgardians, and he never even bothered with Earth … What's his game?"

"I don't know," said Fury. "But we can't rule out any possibilities."

That was true, thought Loki, and the most probable possibility at that moment was that this was, indeed, a human murderer. Or at least not Utgard-Loki. Because Loki knew Utgard-Loki would never have come up with such an elaborate plan. Nor would he ever seek revenge upon Midgard for something that happened a thousand years ago. He just wouldn't be bothered.

Surprisingly, he was definitely not the killer. Now Loki faced the decision of whether or not to share this information. If they continued to believe Utgard-Loki was behind this, Loki gained more time. But distracting them from the real killer could turn out to be fateful as well; Loki had no idea who they were dealing with. For all he knew it could be someone who wanted to catch _his_ attention. They certainly had common enemies.

Loki bit back an irritated snort. He hated not knowing. Hated not seeing clearly. He tried thinking straight, tried grasping onto something that he didn't quite know what was, something that would help him decide what to do – but he was distracted. Fury had ordered Gustafson to join him at the desk, and she plopped down next to him just as a pair of S.H.I.E.L.D. employees entered the room carrying piles of heavy books and dumping them on the table.

"Find out what else this bastard wants," said Fury. "We don't have much time. If he follows his usual pattern I'm gonna find four dead agents in the desert tomorrow."

"You should put all your available men at watch in that desert," said the Captain. Loki rolled his eyes. _Yes, fill the desert with bait_.

"Oh believe me, I will," said Fury. "And I'll make sure Stark ups his game, too. I won't give this sucker the chance to make it to four," he added, then stormed off. Loki idly wondered what this man did that was so important he always had to leave at a run.

Loki glanced at the books. They were in Scandinavian. He recognized some of the words, which were similar to the old tongue, but most of the language had changed so much since then that Loki wouldn't be able to read the books properly.

"I speak Swedish," smiled Gustafson, as if guessing his predicament.

"Good," snapped Loki, "then you read."

It turned out the books were all of Gustafson's tomes on old Norse mythology and Scandinavian and Icelandic history. She clearly had a bit of a hobby. She began flipping through the books, searching for more information about the year 1024 and about Utgard-Loki. Loki pulled as far away from Gustafson as possible, leaned back and was about to drift off into his own thoughts again when he saw Thor catching his eye. He was gesturing for Loki to join him in the far end of the room.

Loki sighed exasperatedly, made a point of getting out of the chair with as much disdain as he could muster, and stalked over to his brother.

"What?" he said.

"We are acting on the idea that Utgard-Loki is killing these humans to commemorate the year Christianity took Norway," said Thor in a lowered voice. "Do you not hear how that sounds, brother?"

"It sounds … elaborate and pointless," said Loki. "Which is typical frost giant, is it not?"

"It sounds wrong," said Thor. "I do not believe that is the purpose of these murders. The date could signify the year, possibly, but why attack only S.H.I.E.L.D.? And why now? Are you saying you truly believe Utgard-Loki suddenly decided to seek revenge on the mortals because they _forgot_ him? It has been centuries! Why would he care?"

Loki had to give it to Thor, he was _not_ as stupid as he looked. His deduction was correct; it made absolutely no sense for Utgard-Loki to be the killer. However Loki hadn't had time yet to decide which course of action was most favourable to him, so he held his tongue. Neither agreed nor disagreed with Thor, while his mind raced.

"If I am correct," continued Thor, "then we are chasing the wrong suspect. And each day he kills more agents, each day we get closer to this date which for some reason is significant to him. Loki," he added and looked gravely into Loki's eyes, "if you know something … If there is something you have seen, something that you are not telling me …"

"I said you have earned my gratitude, not my scorn," said Loki. He hesitated for a moment, then added, "I believe you are … correct in assuming Utgard-Loki is an unlikely culprit. But I do not know any more than that."

Not quite true, but close enough. What Loki did know – or suspect – was that this killer was sending a message not to S.H.I.E.L.D., but to _him_. Or at least to someone who shared the killer's hatred of S.H.I.E.L.D. But that particular piece of information Loki kept to himself. Because if that was the case, this murderer might in fact be someone Loki could consider an ally.

Thor looked sceptically at Loki.

"You speak and sound as though you are being truthful," he said. "But then, you always do. I will trust you, for now, Loki, but know that I am watching you."

"Dear brother," said Loki with a smile, "whatever have I done to earn this distrust?"

Thor shot Loki a look that stated _that_ was pretty obvious, given recent events. Then he added, "First you said it had to be Utgard-Loki. Then you suggested he was merely a scapegoat. Then you insisted on Utgard-Loki again. Don't think I did not notice. You are stalling. And I am watching you."

Loki raised his eyebrows, impressed. He even let Thor see it for the briefest of moments; he'd done well enough to deserve the compliment. Thor had developed, he had learned to read Loki in new ways, and that was surprising. And it gave Loki a challenge, which was an added bonus. He had to find new ways to manipulate his brother.

Research – if it could so be called – continued for a few more hours before agent Red appeared outside the glass room, announcing it was time for "the prisoner to return to his cell". Loki rolled his eyes. The Captain had left them a couple of hours ago, so it was Thor who accompanied Loki and Red back down to the last floor where his cell awaited. Once there, Loki was locked in again and Thor took off, leaving Red once again to be his watchdog.

Loki scanned through the books to see if there was anything there remotely worth his attention. There wasn't. He spent a few minutes sitting at the desk, trying his best to get back into that state of mind where he would be able to come up with a good plan of escape. But he was constantly distracted by Red's stupid stare.

"I am surprised you're back here again," said Loki, giving up his pondering for the moment and instead standing up to approach the glass wall. He needed to vent. "Apparently I need to put more effort into breaking you."

Red narrowed her eyes. "Try all you like, it won't work."

"Oh, but you just admitted to me that it will," said Loki. His gaze inspected the wall, looking for any weak spots. He gently placed his hand against the glass and was rewarded with a slight twitch in Red's shoulders.

"You're afraid of me," said Loki. It was a statement.

"I'll admit maybe I would be if I met you on the street," said Red. "But not now, not here. You're alone this time, there's no one to break you out, no one to help you. And I know you've got your little magic tricks, but if you even try them on that wall you'll fry."

Loki nodded, a wicked smile on his face.

"I like mortals," he mused. "In a way, they are like open books. You, for example. Your words just now were not meant to convince me, they were meant to convince _you_."

He leaned even closer to the wall, palm still flat against the glass, his gaze capturing hers, daring her to look away.

"How do you know?" he whispered. "How do you know this cell can hold me? What would you do, _Red_, if I were to break this glass now? If I advanced on you with the intent to murder you like I murdered all those pathetic fellow humans of yours," he paused and then spat, "_what would you do?_"

Her hand instinctively reached for the gun at her hip. Loki laughed.

"Relax," he smiled, stepping back from the glass and throwing his arms out. "I am trapped, am I not? I cannot harm you, can I?"

She narrowed her eyes again and removed her hand from the gun. Her breathing steadied and she allowed herself to look away. But just for a moment, then she looked right back at him. Not bad, given that she was terrified of him.

Loki considered going at her again but decided against it. Right now he had her on edge; if he threatened her again she would realize he was all talk. At the moment he was stuck in that cell, granted, but it wouldn't last. And Loki decided right then and there that the second he got out, Red would be the first he killed.

* * *

He must have eventually fallen asleep that night, because when the deafening bang that shook the compound like an earthquake reached his underground cell, it awoke him.

* * *

**A/N: It's fun to see the stats on this story steadily increasing. There will be more to come soon. Any questions, don't hesitate to ask. (Not to mention tell me if anyone is out of character. I'm allergic to that when reading other people's fics so naturally I don't want to make the same mistake.)**

**Thanks to all who read, and to all who review!**


	4. Scapegoat

Loki was immediately thrown to the floor; he didn't know if he'd done it himself on pure impulse or if the force the explosion had in fact hurled him off the bed.

He opened his eyes again – having instinctively squeezed them shut when the explosion hit – and saw his cell was in disarray, furniture strewn broken across the floor. And all around him there lay glass. Broken pieces of thick bulletproof glass meant to keep even ancient deities under control. Sparks were flying from all around the frame of the glass wall; Fury's electric fence clearly hadn't coped with the pressure from the blast.

Loki hurried to his feet and was met with the delightful sight of his cell's front wall completely gone. Just the occasional shard remained. He was lucky – the glass cell next to his was surprisingly still intact. Smoke and dust filled the entire floor and for a few seconds Loki couldn't see beyond his cell. He took a few, daring steps forwards and out of through the broken glass wall. So far he hadn't heard a single noise from Red, which suggested she was either unconscious or dead.

He wondered for a brief second what sort of explosion could have caused this great damage so far underground, but then he saw it: the dust settled, revealing that the explosion had actually come from inside the elevator. The doors had been blown open, broken pieces of metal lay everywhere and thick smoke was emitting from the elevator shaft. Loki glanced to his right. Remains of the table and chair were there, but his watchdog was nowhere to be seen. Which probably meant she hadn't been on the floor at all during the explosion. Strange, as she was supposed to be watching him. Still, it was lucky for her; Loki figured the only reason he was unharmed was because the glass wall had protected him. Had Red been there she would have been killed instantly.

He climbed over debris to look into the ruined elevator. It was clear there'd been a bomb in there, but whatever – or whoever – brought it was long gone, shattered to pieces by the explosion no doubt. The roof of the elevator was almost all gone and he looked up into the shaft above but saw only smoke and the occasional flickering light in the distance. He figured he would probably be able to climb a good way up there, but not all the way up to the surface. He would need help.

Loki stepped back into the mess that was once the hallway outside his cell, flicking his left hand casually to magically remove dust from his dark green shirt and black trousers. If that bomb was indeed meant for his floor then it was probably also meant to free him, not kill him. Which again meant this had to be the murderer's doing, and Loki could confirm his theory: This killer, whoever he was, was after Loki, not S.H.I.E.L.D. As an ally, probably, but Loki couldn't be certain.

And he knew that if he had figured this out, then probably so had S.H.I.E.L.D. Whatever was happening above him right now, he bet they were very aware of the fact that their most prized prisoner probably was out of his cage. They'd be on the lookout for him, and on the lookout for his illusions, too.

"Hello?" a voice suddenly shouted.

Loki spun around and gazed back towards the elevator shaft.

"Is somebody down there? Can you hear me?" It was a man's voice, loud and anxious. Checking for survivors.

Loki had to decide quickly. His easiest way up that elevator shaft was as himself; that wouldn't raise any questions and whoever was up there would probably help him, albeit cautiously. But that meant definite escape would be all the more difficult. Despite the chaos that surely raged upstairs they would do whatever it took to get him out from the ruined floor, yes, but definitely no further. And Thor was around somewhere, too, which meant fighting his way to freedom was out of the question.

Loki made up his mind, made another small gesture with his left hand and watched himself turn into someone else. Then he coughed, turned around and climbed back into the ruined elevator.

"Yes!" he shouted. "I'm here! Help me up!"

"Agent Red!" a voice from above shouted – looking up, Loki could see him now; a man in his 30s. He was three or four floors above. And he clearly recognized the form Loki had just taken on. "Don't worry! I'll get you out of there!"

He disappeared, then reappeared seconds later with a long, thick wire which he hoisted down to Loki's level. Loki wrapped the wire tightly around his left hand and lower arm and started climbing the elevator shaft. The agent above him was holding tightly onto the wire, trying his best to help by pulling Loki up – but really, Loki did all the work. He was hiding in Red's slight body, but the strength was his own.

The climb wasn't without difficulty; the shaft had very few elements to hold onto, smoke made it hard to see anything and Loki frequently had to jump away from snapping, sparking electric wires. But eventually he made his way up to the open elevator doors four floors above where the frazzled agent hauled him up and into safety.

As soon as he had solid ground beneath his feet again, Loki fell to the floor and lay panting for a second next to the panicked agent. Loki wasn't distraught, but he figured someone like Red might've been, so he played the part.

"What happened?" he finally asked.

"Several explosions on the compound," responded the agent. "One in the labs, one in Fury's command centre, not to mention the one in the elevator down where you were. You're lucky it didn't kill you, it must've blown up pretty much everything down there that wasn't protected by that glass w–"

Suddenly the agent stopped and turned to face Loki, his eyes glazing over in panic. That was all the reaction he had time for before Loki swiftly grabbed his head and twisted it brutally, breaking the man's neck. It wasn't Red but it would have to do.

Loki kicked the body roughly down the elevator shaft, then jumped to his feet, still disguised as agent Red. He quickly took in his surroundings: He was in a long corridor that turned left a few feet down the hall. Surrounding him were several closed doors, but he had no idea where they led. His safest bet was the corridor – the elevator was out of the question.

But he knew there had to be another elevator on the compound somewhere, and surely stairs too; S.H.I.E.L.D. were smart enough not to have just one means of transportation down into the depths of the earth. As far as Loki could remember from the elevator ride from the surface, he was still at least ten floors below ground level.

He made his way down the corridor, soon passing S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and employees, but none of them paid him any attention. They were all running around in frenzy, trying to get control of the situation. Loki idly wondered how many had been killed in the two other explosions. If it were more than four then this wasn't part of the killer's countdown. This was just an added bonus, Loki figured; still it was curious – it broke the killer's meticulous pattern.

He hurried down the corridor and spotted another agent moving through an open door; beyond it, Loki saw stairs. Perfect. He ran through the door and up the stairs, two steps at a time, one flight after another. As he made his way towards the surface he could almost taste freedom and at the moment he didn't care that he had no idea what to do once he got out – this opportunity was too good to miss.

He figured he had to be no less than five or six floors from ground level when he reached the top of one flight of stairs and ran straight into a female agent. He stumbled clumsily backwards, grunted angrily and made to roughly shove her out of the way when he accidentally glanced at her face.

It was Red.

She stared at him – at _herself_ – for less than a second before pulling out her gun and firing a round at him. Loki moved swiftly, gripping the stairs' railing and throwing himself over it, jumping down to the level below. Red wasted no time jumping after him, firing her gun as she fell. Loki dodged every shot and rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"Wait," he snapped as Red landed just a few feet away, her gun pointed straight at his face.

Surprisingly, she did. Loki immediately waved his left hand and removed the illusion, changing from Red back to his own self, fully dressed in his usual armour, save the helmet.

"I would just rather prefer to kill you in my own form," he said by way of explanation. Then he ran at Red with a ferocious roar. He was too quick for her, she didn't have time to fire again before Loki had brutally knocked the gun from her and lunged straight for her throat, grasping her with both hands and already beginning to choke the life out of her. Red gasped, feet kicking wildly as Loki lifted her off the floor.

"Now's your chance, show me," spat Loki, reliving their conversation from a few hours back, "show me what you would _do_."

Red's gaze fluttered to her gun that lay useless on the floor. Loki watched with glee as her eyes widened and her skin went paler. The agent who'd helped him escape the elevator shaft had been a mere necessity but this, this was like killing Fury's own little pet. This felt _good_.

Or it would have, if Loki had been allowed to finish. But just as life was about to leave Red's panicked eyes, someone grasped Loki brutally from behind, tore him away from Red and threw him mercilessly into the nearest wall, the cement cracking under his back as he slammed into it. He groaned, fell to the floor in a heap and didn't even have to look up to see who'd done it. Only one person on the compound could have handled Loki like that.

"At least you were honest with me about your plans to escape," said Thor, disapproval evident in his voice.

Loki rolled his eyes and slowly got to his feet, his hands raised in defeat as he took in the scene now in front of him: Thor, Fury and three agents stood surrounding him, the agents all with their guns pointing at his chest. It was Thor's presence, however, that had made Loki surrender. He glanced over at Red who lay on the stairs, desperately gasping for air. Still alive. Damn.

"Yeah, I can't say I'm surprised," said Fury as Thor stepped forward to once again cuff Loki. "But we know you pretty well by now, Loki. You didn't honestly think it was going to be _that_ easy?"

"You know, for a moment," said Loki, his voice still somewhat strained from having been slammed into a wall, "I actually did."

He watched as two of the agents ran over to Red and helped her sit up. Then, once she'd caught her breath and somewhat gathered herself, Loki watched in utter surprise as the agents suddenly hauled her to her feet, wrenched her arms behind her back and cuffed her, too.

"Not to mention," said Fury, his gaze boring into Loki's, "you didn't think we wouldn't find out you were behind all of this, did you?"

* * *

For the remainder of the night, while technicians worked quickly to repair the damage done to the elevator and the shaft on the floor where Loki's cell was, he was kept in the glass room where he'd been working the previous day. Fury had turned on the electric wiring there too, effectively making this room as dangerous to escape from as Loki's cell. Thor was in the room with him, practically glowering with rage. They'd been alone in there for twenty minutes, Loki sitting in the chair by the desk, his hands still cuffed in his lap. Thor stood a few feet away and hadn't opened his mouth once. It was unusual, and for once Loki chose to be the first one to speak.

"Come now, Thor," he said, "you do not honestly believe that _I_ have somehow made all of this happen?"

"I never know what to think with you," said Thor, pointedly not looking at him.

"How could I have?" demanded Loki. "I was in Odin's dungeons! Yes, I am a gifted trickster, but murdering mortals from there – well, if you believe I am capable of that then I shall take it as a grand compliment indeed. It is, unfortunately, _not true_."

"You did not commit the murders yourself," said Thor, finally turning to face him. "That much I know. But you had an accomplice, someone you instructed to do these killings for you. And you, who knew Utgard-Loki better than anyone, planted the signs to make him your scapegoat."

Loki looked at him incredulously. "Quite an elaborate plan I have concocted, clearly. Tell me, who was my accomplice? And how did I communicate with him from the isolation of my cell in Asgard, I wonder?"

Thor stared at him, a dangerous look on his face. "Yes, it is Fury's theory, not mine. But regrettably I have reason to believe he is correct. And you, brother, are not known for being truthful. Which is why I find it hard to …"

"Trust me?" interrupted Loki. "Trust is one thing, Thor, but common sense is another. What purpose would there be in all of this for me?"

"You would escape father's dungeons," said Thor, approaching Loki. "By making Utgard-Loki the suspected murderer you knew we had no choice but to ask for your help. And here on Midgard you would have an easier chance of escaping. As you almost did tonight."

"Honestly, I would have tried escaping from anywhere, at any time, given the opportunity," said Loki with a raised eyebrow. He gave the impression of taking this whole situation quite lightly, but in truth he was a little concerned – and begrudgingly impressed. Somehow the killer had managed to frame _him_. Not an ally then, clearly, but an enemy. And his plot even made sense – Loki had walked right into every little trap set up for him, right down to tonight's attempted escape. And framing Utgard-Loki for a chance to come to Midgard … Yes, it did sound like something Loki actually could have done. Only problem was he hadn't. But Thor didn't believe him – which was no big surprise, really – and the truth was Loki wouldn't have lost any sleep over actually _being _responsible for all those murders. He would have committed them himself, given the opportunity.

But he hadn't. This killer had tricked him. Tricked _him_, Loki Liesmith, God of Mischief. Unacceptable.

And Loki still remembered that they had handcuffed his watchdog.

"Red …" he whispered, glancing at Thor. "They believe agent Red was my accomplice."

Thor nodded. "Another agent came across something suspicious in her private files. Blueprints, advanced designs. Designs for … intricate devices that could be placed within the human body, capable of keeping it frozen for hours. Unique, one of a kind technology. The kind that would have made those killings possible for a human to commit."

Loki frowned.

"And," added Thor, "they found letters."

"Letters?" echoed Loki.

"From you."

"Ah," said Loki, "no doubt containing detailed instructions."

"Yes," said Thor, "so detailed that only the killer could have written them. Details that have not been shared with you since you came here, brother, which means …"

"Oh please, as if you cannot forge a letter!" snapped Loki.

Thor just shook his head. "There is too much of this pointing at you. You had the motive, Loki, and the history … And I have been shown those letters." He went quiet for a moment, disappointment and pain evident in his tell-all blue eyes. "They were _you_. Clearly written by my brother – no, by the man who _used to be_ my brother. I have seen that handwriting, those runes, I would know."

"Clearly you would not," said Loki, but Thor wasn't listening.

"I will have to speak to father," he said. "I will have to find whoever smuggled those letters out for you. I doubt you will give up that information willingly," he added with a glance at Loki.

"I will not because there is no information to give," said Loki, so exasperated now that he actually got to his feet, wanting to be able to face his brother properly. "Listen to me. I have not done this. Why would I? You say it was a chance for me to escape Odin's dungeons, but how could I have known he would have agreed to let me come here?"

Thor frowned at that.

"And if that daft agent Red is my accomplice in all of this," continued Loki, "how did I even find her? How did I get in touch with her?"

Thor snorted, but Loki could tell he had managed to get through to his brother, at least partly.

"Not to mention," continued Loki, "if Red was my partner in crime she would have tried to aid my escape. Instead she fired a _gun_ at me," he added, unable to keep the small sulk out of his tone of voice.

"Yes, that … was odd," said Thor hesitantly. "But you might have had a quarrel."

"Oh yes, and how inconvenient it was, too," snarled Loki, rolling his eyes and stepping away from Thor in disgust. "My mortal accomplice was dissatisfied with the terms of the agreement and decided to try and _kill_ me after we had set off a series of bombs in the middle of the night!"

"That's enough, calm yourself," said Thor sternly.

Loki scowled menacingly. "If you believe I truly am behind all of this then you _are_ as daft as I have always believed you to be."

Hurt was evident in Thor's eyes. He looked down at the floor for a second, contemplating his next move, and Loki observed him coldly. That delicious thirst for revenge was back tenfold, fuelled by Thor's mindlessness and stupidity, and Loki was practically aching to have a go at his older brother. If only he wasn't in handcuffs, trapped in this bloody glass prison.

Thor opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted. Fury appeared at the door of the glass room, unlocking it and entering. Two agents, one tall but skinny and one really large, followed closely behind him, and between them came … Red. Wonderful. Her hands were still cuffed at her back and the agents were gripping her upper arms tightly.

"Well," said Fury, quickly catching the tension in the room. "Apparently constant betrayal puts a strain on any family relationship."

"Director Fury," said Thor, "I ask you for a moment to think through this. Granted, Loki is our most likely suspect, but there are some elements of this that make me wonder whether he …"

"I don't wanna hear it," interrupted Fury, turning his stern gaze to Thor. "Look, I know he's your brother, and I know he's been your brother for at least a thousand years. I get what comes with that. But you can't let this bastard fool you again, not _now_. Remember all he's done in the past. This guy," he pointed a finger accusingly at Loki, "will never change. Do you get that? He'll always try to mess with you, lie to you, appeal to your ability to forgive. I leave you alone with him for half an hour and suddenly you think he's innocent. Back when I showed you those letters you _knew_ it had to be Loki."

Thor dared a glance in Loki's direction and was rewarded with a scowl.

"Will you not at least question him?" asked Thor, his gaze quickly dodging from Loki and back to Fury. "Will you not attempt to find solid evidence?"

"I _have_ solid evidence," said Fury. "Solid enough that I say I want this guy _taken care of_. I'm done with him. This is the last time – the LAST time, Thor – I let this guy fuck with us."

He took a step towards Loki, that blasted finger never wavering.

"You," he spat, "you don't deserve the place you have in our world's history."

Loki merely glared at him, chin down, gaze up. He knew it was pointless to argue with Fury; he'd made up his mind. Making Loki the villain ended this today. And Loki suspected Fury gladly would have blamed him for every crime ever committed on Midgard if he could. The pure hatred shining from those eyes suggested sense and just judgment had long since left the building.

"Red," said Loki, turning his attention instead to the female agent, evil glittering at her from his dark eyes, "please tell me they have brought you here so that I can finish what I started."

"Kinda, yeah, actually," said Fury, raising an eyebrow at Red. She went pale.

"You see," said Fury to Loki, "agent Red here is refusing to have had anything to do with all of this. She says she's innocent, and what's more she says _you're_ probably innocent as well – at least she says she never received any letters from you. But if you taught her how to kill all those people I bet you also taught her how to lie."

Loki made a sound of disgust at the very thought of cooperating with someone like agent Red. Honestly, there was so much stupid in this room he was afraid if he stayed there any longer he'd catch it.

"And seeing as how Red's the reason why your scheme was revealed, I bet you're not all that happy with her," continued Fury, oblivious. "Best way to get her to come clean to me? I figure, leave her in the room with you."

Loki actually raised an eyebrow at that and caught Red's gaze. She went, if possible, even paler.

The two agents pushed her roughly forwards, undid her cuffs and kept their weapons pointed at her as they exited the glass room. Fury and Thor followed, and Fury locked the door behind him.

"Now," he said to Red, "agent Wilson will be stationed out here at all times. Whenever you're ready to confess, let him know and he'll have Thor come down and save you. Let's hope for your sakes Loki's in a forgiving mood or I can't guarantee Thor will get here in time."

The looks exchanged between Thor and Fury did not go unnoticed by Loki, and it was clear his older brother was having second thoughts about his so far unquestioned allegiance to S.H.I.E.L.D. Loki knew Thor did not appreciate being used as a threat in this manner, and in addition a flicker of doubt was still visible on his features; he was still contemplating Loki's words, still wondering whether or not he had been telling the truth. Loki's anger towards him subsided … at least a little.

Hesitantly though, Thor did leave with Fury and one of the agents. The other – Wilson, the big one – remained behind, taking a seat outside the glass box with his gaze locked on Loki and Red. He looked expectant, eager almost. As if he couldn't wait to see Loki attack the woman he clearly believed to be a traitor.

Red kept to the other end of the room, pressing herself up against the glass in an attempt to stay as far away from Loki as possible. He rolled his eyes and fell back into his chair. He could kill her later – right now he needed to think.

This was ridiculous. Tedious, time-consuming and not at all according to plan. Escape would be close to impossible now, suddenly he was no longer simply aiding S.H.I.E.L.D., he was their culprit – the serial killer. They'd never let him out of their sight. It would be impossible to escape, which also meant it would be impossible to hunt down the _actual_ killer – which Loki had every intention of doing. Nobody framed him, tricked _him_, and got away with it.

What he couldn't understand was why. Why frame him now, when the killer hadn't completed his countdown? Whatever significance October 24th held, the date was four days away and still Loki expected there to be four dead S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the desert come morning. So why waste time making Loki and Red the scapegoats – the second more bodies popped up Fury would realize his mistake anyway. It did not make sense. And it infuriated Loki.

And then there was Red. He glanced at her; she'd sat down on a chair by the wall, her knees pulled up to her chin, hugging her legs. Almost as if she tried to make herself as small and undetectable as possible. This quivering excuse of an agent clearly had nothing to do with these killings, so why frame _her_ as well? Who in their right minds could believe Red capable of taking part in something like this? Fury clearly let his hatred of Loki cloud his judgment, there was no question about that. The "evidence" found in Red's belongings made Loki the killer and that was all Fury cared about. Never mind the fact that it didn't make any. Fucking. Sense.

Loki figured something close to ten minutes must have passed while he sat simply fuming, futilely trying to contain his fury to allow sense and plotting some space to work in his mind. He had been sitting lost in thought, head bent, gazing on the floor when he suddenly heard a strange _thump_, followed by a female voice that said: "_Finally_."

The only woman in the room was Red, so it must've come from her, but it had sounded nothing like her. The voice was deeper, somehow, more … with an edge to it. Loki quickly looked up and saw Red had jumped from her chair, posture suddenly straight and confident. Behind her, beyond the glass wall, agent Wilson lay flat on the floor, apparently unconscious.

"It took him forever," said Red – her voice still strangely uncharacteristic; strong, almost with an air of carelessness to it. "My estimated dosage wasn't quite enough for a guy as big as him. Still, live and learn."

Loki still sat speechless in his chair. Something had just happened. Definitely. Something he didn't understand. And Loki really, really _hated_ not understanding.

It took him a moment to find his words.

"What?" he simply spat, frustration and confusion painfully evident in his usually so confident voice.

* * *

There were voices coming from the small conference room.

There shouldn't have been voices in there, not now, not at this time of night – not after everything that'd happened. And particularly not the voice of director Fury, who surely had more important things to deal with right now. There was no reason for him to be having a conference meeting at three AM.

Thor had passed the door coincidentally, actually heading down that corridor to see if S.H.I.E.L.D. needed any assistance in clearing up the control centre, where the damage was the most severe. Thor had figured his strength could perhaps be of use.

But he had stopped dead in his tracks when he'd heard Fury's voice from beyond the conference room. Now he took a step closer, his ear pressed against the door, careful to avoid his frame being seen through the small window.

"… want this taken care of _now_," Fury was saying. "As soon as possible."

"And you're coming to me because …?"

It took Thor a second to recognize the other man's voice: Tony Stark.

"Because you know him," said Fury. "Better than any of us by now. You guys have some sort of … well, you understand each other, Stark."

"So you think because we're buddies I'm going to convince him to do this? Fuck that, you convince him," said Stark. "I'm not taking the fall for this."

"There's no taking the fall!" said Fury. His voice was louder now; Thor had no trouble hearing him through the thick walls.

"Right," said Stark, "I get it. You don't wanna tell him. You don't want _me_ to tell him. You want me to set him off. Is that it?"

Quiet. Apparently Stark struck a nerve.

"No way," he said.

"Tony," began Fury, but Stark cut him off.

"No," he said firmly. "Are you crazy? You do _want_ us to be your allies, right? 'Cause you're really not acting like it right now. You want me to manipulate him into this, to make him – fuck that, I don't even know _how_. He more or less controls it now anyway, doesn't he?"

Thor frowned. He, who _he_? Controlled what?

"It can be triggered," said Fury. "And I believe it has to be. He won't do it voluntarily, and I don't wanna make him any more than you do. But this is a national – no, a _global_ issue, Tony! Loki is a threat to our very existence, you see that, right?"

"Of course," said Stark immediately. "The guy's crazy. So you kill him."

"I would if I could, believe me."

_Kill him_. Thor was tempted to tear the door down just hearing those words, but he contained his anger. He wanted to know what this was really all about. Fury was beyond reason; he refused to believe Loki could be innocent in this, but Thor had figured he would simply let Odin lock him up again in the dungeons in Asgard. Keep him away from Midgard once more. Apparently not.

"Look," said Stark, and by the sound of it he had slammed his hand flat on the table, "I get that you're pissed. I am too. Hell, I get that you want him dead, and you can't kill him, which must be very frustrating for you. Get that," he added, the hint of sarcasm in his voice ever present, "but what you're talking about is despicable. You're talking about tricking a man – a hero, a man who helped save the fucking island of Manhattan – tricking him, making him kill against his will, just so you can have your revenge on Loki."

"He's the only one who _can_ kill him," said Fury. "But I know he won't do it unless I make him."

"No, _you_ won't make him," spat Stark. "_You _don't have the guts. So you want me to put on my suit and piss off Bruce enough to make the Hulk come out to play when Loki's the only toy in the room. No. Fucking. Way. You wanna do this, you do it yourself."

Thor could hear Stark getting to his feet, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. Thor quickly hurried off down the corridor and turned a corner before Stark exited the conference room. Thor could hear him move down in a different direction, Fury following closely behind, still trying to convince him in hushed tones.

Thor leaned against the wall, smiling politely on instinct at a couple of passing agents who beamed at him. The hero. The god. Well, he didn't feel like he was much of either at the moment.

As brothers went, Loki wasn't the easiest to deal with. Putting it mildly. And Thor knew he'd made a lot of mistakes when it came to Loki. He knew Loki had made a _lot_ of mistakes as well. They'd both made many very bad choices in their long lives, and by now it had hurt their relationship almost to the point of no return.

Still, at this very moment, Thor for once knew exactly the right thing to do by his brother. He wasn't even hesitant, not for a moment. The second he had heard Fury's intentions – to trick Bruce Banner into releasing the Hulk upon Loki, hopefully killing him – he knew exactly what he had to do.

Fury definitely wouldn't like it.

Oh, but Loki would.

* * *

**Alright, so! Thor to the rescue. I've tried to make him more than just a tool, because despite the fact that Loki's obviously the better character Thor still is smarter than a lot of people give him credit for and I want to show the Thor from the movies, not the flat Thor I often find in fanficiton. So I'm trying to show more nuances to his character. Did I succeed? Don't know. **


	5. Alliance

"I thought he would pass out sooner," said Red in answer to Loki's question. As if that explained anything.

Loki got to his feet, slowly approaching Red, his eyes scrutinizing her as he moved, trying to figure her out. It wasn't agent Red he was seeing before him now; she'd suddenly transformed. She looked … cold. Reckless. Slightly mad, even, if Loki had to admit it. The desperately-try-to-be-brave agent who'd been his babysitter, who'd been clinging onto life as he strangled her during his escape, was completely missing. She didn't even look scared of him anymore.

"You … drugged him," he finally said, stating the obvious as he gestured towards agent Wilson, who still lay on the floor.

"Obviously," said Red.

"Why?" asked Loki.

"I figured we needed a private talk," she answered. "I couldn't very well seduce you with him watching us, could I?"

Yet again Loki found himself at a loss for words – which was unusual. His mind desperately tried to find something as offensive as possible to say in response, but Red spoke before he got the chance to think of a decent, menacing comeback to her audacity.

"Kidding," she said, actually _winking_ at him. "Sorry, I just had to see what sort of a reaction I'd get from you if I said that. None, apparently," she added as an afterthought, shrugging. Then she turned her head upwards, gaze flickering across the wiring that had every inch of the glass walls live with lethal electricity if one tried to use force. "Anyway. I could switch this thing off if I was on the outside, which of course I'm not – so we'll have to improvise. Maybe you can use some of your magic?"

Loki still simply stared at her, dumbfounded. Still not understanding, still not liking that one bit. He was growing increasingly agitated yet found himself simultaneously fascinated despite himself. Who was Red? Not a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, obviously. Not if she'd drugged her colleague and now asked Loki to help her get out of there.

More to the point – why did she? And why didn't she fear him anymore?

"My magic," said Loki softly, echoing her words and moving closer to her still. As he spoke he was glad to hear he'd regained some of his cool. He'd be damned if he let this mortal shake him, despite her unbelievably uncharacteristic behaviour.

"Yes," confirmed Red. "I don't know exactly what you've got, but why the hell not."

"You realize I can still kill you," said Loki, locking eyes with her. "You realize I still very much _want_ to."

"I don't doubt it," said Red. "And you can try again once we get out of here. But I think you won't kill me just yet because we have a better chance of escaping if we cooperate. I know the compound, you know … magic. Plus, you're a god and everything. Handy. Win-win."

"Why?" asked Loki, glancing at Wilson again before once more locking his gaze on Red's icy blue eyes. "Who are you?"

"I'm Red," she replied simply.

"Oh no," said Loki with a grin, stepping close enough to her to allow her to feel his breath on her face, "no, you're not. I do not know what you are, but you are not S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Red."

She smirked at him then, and it was a nice and cocky smirk despite the fact that Loki could see now, up this close, that she actually _was_ a little bit afraid of him still. Good.

"I actually am," she said, and that big smile remained plastered on her face. "I'm Amalie Red, I'm a trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and have been for two years. I'm not an alien posing as a human, I'm not … magically disguised as Red, I _am_ Red. I'm just not the Red I initially showed you. The one I've been showing S.H.I.E.L.D. and Fury for the past two years."

Loki took a step back, surprised despite himself.

"An act," he said. "It was an act."

"A good one, apparently," said Red, "you bought it."

"You did not actually lose anyone in New York," stated Loki.

"Made you believe I did, though?"

"Yes," said Loki honestly. "You did."

"Good," she said, "that was my intention. Now, back to our problem: Getting out. Preferably before Fury comes back down here or Wilson wakes up. I don't know how long that dosage'll keep him out. So can you contribute at all here?"

Loki blinked, actually needing a microsecond to catch up with her. His mind was racing even faster than it normally did: Red was apparently a rat, for whom he didn't know, but she was definitely not S.H.I.E.L.D., she wanted out of there and she wanted his cooperation to accomplish it and beyond that … he had no idea.

Still, Loki was never one to turn down an opportunity. He could get his answers – _and my kill_, he thought, glancing sideways at Red – once he was free.

"I don't know," he said, stepping beside her to gaze up at the wiring, the two of them standing there looking like a pair of electricians discussing a malfunctioning fuse box. "I suppose I could try short-circuiting it, I have done something similar before. However I doubt whether my magic will penetrate the glass."

"Clearly," nodded Red, "or you would've done that in your cell."

Loki inclined his head. True.

"Magic might trigger it," said Loki. "Or set of an alarm of some sort."

"Alarm's switched off," said Red absentmindedly, gaze still locked on the wiring. "Same as the cameras and microphones. I took care of that before I got down here."

Loki glanced at her. Microphones? Cameras?

"How?" he asked.

"I hooked the system up to my phone weeks ago," she replied. "Second I realized it could cause me trouble. I couldn't have them accidentally spying on _me_ – though thanks to those letters from 'you' it didn't matter," she added as an afterthought, glancing over at Loki to catch his eye. "Still, I managed to turn the cameras and microphones in here off right before they confiscated my phone. I figured they'd bring me here, as the cells downstairs are inaccessible. Hopefully S.H.I.E.L.D. haven't cracked my phone's security codes yet, so they don't know I have manipulated the surveillance – as I said, yet."

Loki raised an eyebrow and gestured lazily at the electric wiring. "Clever. Why not turn this off as well while you were at it?"

"Because I didn't have _access_ to this," spat Red. "I didn't think I'd need it, I just needed them not to spy on me. I never thought _I'd_ end up in here; he was supposed to frame just you, not me –"

She immediately stopped talking, her breath caught in her throat. She didn't even look at Loki, but he could see her mind at work. This new, cool and calm Red had slipped up. She'd sounded angry, pure and simple rage had gotten her ranting and suddenly she'd gone and _confessed_. Accidentally.

"Me," whispered Loki, grabbing Red roughly by the upper arm. "_Frame me_."

He pulled her up, almost lifting her off the floor, squeezing her arm so tightly he was actually surprised it didn't snap. He grasped her close, so close he could count the freckles on her pale face. Again he recognized a flicker of fear behind her tough facade.

"Who?" he snarled at her, baring his teeth malevolently.

"I – don't know," stuttered Red, her gaze dancing across his face, first avoiding his eyes and then daringly seeking them out again. "I don't know his real name. I swear."

"But you _know_ him," whispered Loki menacingly. "You cooperated with him. You set all this up to frame me. Fury was right, you _were_ a part of it!" He shook her roughly, then spat in her ear, "Why?!"

For a second she looked as if she might cry out in fear, or simply panic. But she didn't. Instead Loki could see her mind working, could see her gather her courage and strength around her and her facial features changed just as she raised her chin and looked him squarely in the eyes.

"Put me down," she said, her voice barely shaking. "I'll tell you if you _put me down_."

"You believe you are in a position to negotiate?" said Loki. "Oh, you play with fire, Red. The cameras are off, the alarm is off, the microphones are off, our watchdog is unconscious … All of which _you_ saw to. And I will snap. You. Like. A. Twig."

"You won't," said Red. "Not if you want answers. Not if you want to know who framed you."

He hesitated. He _so_ wanted to just squeeze the life out of her, a privilege he'd been denied just an hour or so ago. He even raised a hand to her neck to do it. But just as his fingers wrapped around her pale skin he managed to control his rage and stopped. Because she was right. Somehow she was involved in all of this, she held answers – she knew, had _met_, whoever framed him; she'd probably even helped make it happen, considering her position within S.H.I.E.L.D.

And then he remembered what she'd said. _He was supposed to frame just you, not me_.

Someone had double-crossed her. Which meant Red carried a grudge. Just like Loki. Towards the same fucking cowardly bastard who'd set all of this in motion.

Loki slowly lowered Red back down and let go of her neck and arm. She stumbled back, but stayed on her feet.

"Thank you," she even managed to mutter, gently massaging her right upper arm.

"You had better start talking," warned Loki.

"Yes," she said, not as an affirmative but as an answer to his unspoken question, "I took part in framing you. I have been working with the murderer. I have been his inside man – or rather, woman – helping him avoid the scouts in the desert at night, letting him know where agents would be at a given time so he could kill them. I have killed fellow agents," she added, not looking the least bit remorseful.

"Why?" asked Loki.

"Why do we ever do anything so extensive?" replied Red philosophically. "For _revenge_, of course. You know that better than anyone, I'll bet."

He almost nodded, but caught himself. Somehow Red had figured out his motive for attacking Midgard wasn't rule, but revenge. Revenge on Thor, on Odin, on all of Asgard and the lie of a life he'd led.

"Go on," he said.

"We had a mutual goal," said Red, "he and I. Different reasons, same end game. And I had already passed my tests and become a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, determined to take care of my business alone. But he was brilliant, a true technical genius, and his idea seemed … good, at the time. We could help each other, I figured. But that fucking asshole backstabbed me," she spat, anger boiling to the surface suddenly, "framed me as well on the night we were only supposed to frame you."

"If I was supposed to be your scapegoat," said Loki, "then why bother at all with the details pointing to Utgard-Loki?"

She shook her head slightly. "His idea, not mine. He said that would be the best way to involve you, the best way of getting you here from Asgard – having you involved would give us an actual flesh and blood scapegoat, not just some creature of legend who was just as likely dead. I argued Utgard-Loki could only stay a probable suspect for so long. And we both knew Fury was dying to get his hands on you again."

Loki gave a small, irritated snort. They had been right there.

Then he suddenly realized something.

"That night …" he said. "The first night you spent watching me. _You_ planted the idea in my head that I would be sent back to my cell in Asgard unless I convinced them Utgard-Loki was the killer."

She shrugged, grinning despite her still somewhat frazzled state. "Yeah, I'm proud of that one. I actually got you to throw them off our scent."

That little _bitch_. Loki wanted to strangle her again. She'd used his plan against him; she'd figured he had wanted to stay on Midgard for as long as possible in order to escape, and using that she had made _him_ convince Fury to focus on Utgard-Loki. She'd manipulated him. _Him_, the very god of tricks, had been tricked. Twice in the last two days.

He was off his game. That had to be rectified. Starting with catching this fucking killer, then killing him. And then killing _Red_. Over and over again, if that had been possible.

"Apparently you were a worthy partner in crime," said Loki icily, "so why did he frame you, I wonder? I'm assuming he is the one responsible for those letters in your belongings. Letters from _me_, or so it would seem."

"Yes, it has to be him," she nodded. "Like I told you, he's brilliant, I know he has studied the old runes and obviously he included details in those letters that only the killer would know. He even made it _sound_ like you, apparently. Though how I don't know."

"Well, by now I assume your world has at least some footage of me to go on," said Loki dryly, thinking back to his stunts in Germany and New York. "And a lot of the old Norse stories about me are actually … surprisingly accurate. Except for the one about me being _married_," he added with a grimace, the very idea giving him a bad taste in his mouth.

Red laughed. She actually _laughed_. By now Loki had lost count of how many times he'd been tempted to strangle her again. He felt the itch yet again but contained himself. He needed her to find the real killer. The killer – whoever he was – would definitely sorely regret ever having pissed off the Liesmith.

"Yeah, somehow I can't see you with a wife, two kids and a house in the suburbs," said Red, grinning again. As though Loki's killer glare didn't intimidate her at all. She only seemed genuinely scared whenever he was actually killing her, and then it just as suddenly vanished again. Either she was a really good actor or she was just a little bit off her rocker.

A grunt from agent Wilson made them both freeze. He stirred slightly, but stayed down, eyes still closed.

"Point taken," said Red to him as if he could hear her, "we've wasted enough time." She turned to Loki. "Are you going to kill me now, or do you want to break out of this place first? I'll help you find him – I'm very interested in finding him myself," she added. "We had a plan, a _deal_, and he broke it. I don't take kindly to that."

"Well, I am not known for keeping the deals I make," said Loki, his eyes glittering dangerously as he stared intently at Red. "But I will keep this deal: I accept your offer. We escape together, and we find the man who framed me together. And then," he whispered, "I _shall_ kill you."

The corners of her lips turned down as she nodded, as if contemplating it.

"Sounds fair," she said. "I did try to kill you first."

"That you did," agreed Loki.

Red held out her hand. Loki, hesitatingly, took it.

"Deal," said Red. "Now how do we break out of here before Wilson wakes up?"

"As we discussed before I could attempt to magically tinker with the electrical system," said Loki, "but I cannot predict the outcome. My magic could very well light this entire room up. It might not kill me, but it will probably kill you."

"Good plan," said Red, glancing sceptically at him.

Loki glared back. "Do you have any other suggestions?"

"I do," said a third voice in the room.

Loki and Red both spun around towards the elevator, where the voice had come from. Loki had immediately recognized it, but he didn't believe it until he saw it with his own eyes:

Thor.

He made his way to the glass cell's door, only glancing at the unconscious Wilson for a second and then paying him no more attention. He raised his hand to punch in the security code on the panel, but hesitated when he caught Loki watching him.

"I …" began Thor. "I am sorry, brother."

Loki approached the glass wall, observing Thor pensively. Something had happened. Something more than just Thor giving into his uncertainties; this was about something very specific.

"Are you aiding in my escape?" asked Loki, chuckling. "I must say I am surprised. I do not know you to so easily have a change of heart. Or so often," he added with a raised eyebrow.

"You have not made it easy for me," said Thor, nostalgia flickering in between stern looks, "but I am certain I am doing the right thing now." He punched in a six-digit code on the panel, and the glass door clicked and opened. Thor moved aside to let Loki exit, but stepped back in front of the opening when Red made to follow.

"Oh, she comes with us," said Loki.

"Why?" asked Thor, eyeing her suspiciously.

"She is my guide," said Loki wryly, and catching her eye with a wicked grin he added, "She has agreed to help find the man who framed me in exchange for letting me kill her."

"Yeah, that's not _exactly_ how we worded it," said Red, but she still made to follow them.

"What?" said Thor, stepping out of Red's way in pure bafflement. "The man who … Loki, do you mean to say that you actually –"

Loki stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at Thor, exasperated.

"Yes, Thor, I am innocent," he snarled. "Did you still not believe it? Then why, I wonder," he asked, spreading his arms, "are you springing me from this place?"

Thor didn't speak, but Loki kept his gazed fixed on him, stepping closer. He wanted to know what had occurred to make Thor so blatantly betray his human allies.

"Director Fury," began Thor, eyeing Loki darkly, "intended to have you killed."

Loki blinked. "Is that all?"

"Not by his own hand," snapped Thor, "he knows he would be unable to kill you himself. But I heard him speak to Tony Stark about tricking Banner, tricking him into …"

"… unleashing that _green_ thing on me," concluded Loki, shaking his head in disgust – and the smallest, traitorous stab of fear. He didn't know if the Hulk would in fact be able to kill him, but he was not interested in finding out. Besides the whole dying thing, which was very unappealing to Loki, being attacked by the Hulk was utterly, devastatingly painful. Loki still shuddered at the memory.

But, his mind suddenly realized, this was interesting. Thor actually feared for Loki's life, he was rescuing him from a death sentence. Thor knew that very little could kill an Asgardian – not to mention a frost giant – so his decision had to come partly from a need to protect Loki, but also partly because he disagreed with Fury's methods. Very interesting.

"That's ridiculous," said Red. "And _wrong_ on so many levels."

"Ah, this says the woman who killed her colleagues," commented Loki.

"Completely different," said Red.

"Very well, you are innocent," said Thor to Loki, a look of shame flashing across his features, "and I understand your wish to find the man who framed you. I will even help you. But how can she," he glanced at Red, "be of any assistance?"

"She is – or rather, I should say _was_," Loki looked mockingly at Red, who scowled, "the murderer's accomplice. She has a debt to settle with him same as me, and she knows him. She is going to find him for me."

"He betrayed me," said Red. "We had a deal and he broke it. I want to make sure he … well … _dies_ to regret that, you might say. Now do you want to stand her chatting about it or should we move before all of S.H.I.E.L.D. knows we're out of our cage?"

Thor nodded briskly and led the way to the elevator. Once inside he pushed the button for the top-most floor and the elevator shook into motion. It was an odd moment – the three of them standing there in silence as the elevator gently hummed its way to the surface. Two gods, one of whom was a hero and the other a villain, and the third, a slightly insane (Loki suspected) female murderer. What a sight they must be. After a moment's silence Thor glanced at Loki, taking in his features and his Asgardian armour.

"You might want to …" he began, and Loki nodded. Seconds later Thor stood in the elevator not with Loki and Red, but with two random, male agents with easy-to-forget faces.

"What's … Oh, Jesus," said Red once she realized what Loki'd done. "You could at least have made me a woman."

He sniggered.

Thor leaned in close to Loki, speaking in a hushed voice. "So this woman is a murderer and a double-crosser," he said. "She personally took part in framing you. Tell me why we are trusting her to help us find the murderer?"

Of course, Thor was immediately on board with finding the real killer – primarily not, Loki suspected, to clear his brother's name, but rather to help S.H.I.E.L.D. He still was loyal to them, even despite Fury's suggested approach to Loki; clearly he simply couldn't help himself. And of course there was that whole business about stopping someone who was murdering innocent people, Loki reasoned begrudgingly. Thor was big on that kind of thing.

"Well, if you happen to have this man in your back pocket then that would be wonderful," spat Loki. "Then I shall get to murder Red immediately. But if that is not the case then we are both going to have to be patient. She was his ally," he added reasonably, "and she is as keen to find him as I am. She is my best chance."

"Our best chance," corrected Thor, and Loki rewarded him with a small smile.

They reached the top level – the ground floor – and the elevator doors opened with a hiss. Thor led the way through various rooms and corridors; here, the S.H.I.E.L.D. compound looked like nothing more than an ordinary office building – that was, until they reached the front doors and the preceding security area. There were agents, metal detectors, scanners, cameras … everything thinkable and unthinkable that could reveal Loki and Red's true identities.

"What now?" said Red as they approached the agents by the security checkout point.

"We try and talk our way out," said Thor. "I would rather not turn to violence unless I have no other choice."

"So unlike the old Thor," sighed Loki and received a painful nudge in the shoulder from his adoptive brother.

As they reached the security area one of the agents stepped up to them.

"Thor," he beamed, eyeing the god dreamily and making Loki choke, "it's such an honour! Er … I'm sorry, I'm afraid even though it's you I'll have to follow procedure. What with everything that's happened tonight, the killings and all, now we know one of our own was behind it and there may have been more rats we don't know about – well, I'm sure you understand …" At that moment he took in Loki and Red, clearly not recognizing their anonymous faces.

"Of course," said Thor. "But we are on a mission from director Fury and we are in a hurry. I can assure you these two agents are cleared by Fury himself."

"Well … Can I see their identification?" asked the agent, raising apologetic eyebrows. At that, Thor hesitated and Loki decided it was best to let the silver tongue handle this.

"I appreciate your concern," he said in his sweetest, most admiring tone of voice, "truly I do. After that bitch Red betrayed us we're all a bit on edge and of course that goes for you as well. However the mission we have been assigned is classified," he continued, straightening his back, all professionalism and authority now, "and given that there is a breach within our ranks we have been instructed by Fury not to give up our identities to _anyone_ for the sake of this mission. Or would you rather take these orders up with the God of Thunder?"

Loki had thought that would do it – but no. The agent eyed him suspiciously and Loki realized there was probably a protocol of some sort here he'd missed. Well, he didn't know how S.H.I.E.L.D. operated, did he; in Asgard it had always been enough just to mention Thor's name.

"If I may," said Red, causing Loki and Thor to look at her simultaneously.

"My colleague is correct, we are under strict orders not to identify ourselves for this mission," she said, then leaned in closer. "But if you need reassurance … Well, alright, it's a … agent, it's a B74-T."

The security agent went visibly paler. "So you're …"

"Yes," nodded Red.

"And that means …"

"Uh-huh."

He didn't even hesitate. He just stepped straight out of the way, shouting orders to his colleagues and every one of the agents there dutifully let Loki, Thor and Red pass straight through security without so much as a pat down. Seconds later they found themselves outside the compound, the sun just peaking its nose above the horizon as the three of them headed for the parking lot with Red taking the lead.

"That was impressive," said Thor.

"Thanks," said Red. "It sounded like you needed help."

Loki snorted, feeling belittled. Honestly, had he known S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret Armageddon codes he could just as easily have done what Red did.

They made their way across the parking lot and Red immediately picked out a small, black vehicle, got into the driver's seat and started fiddling with the gods knew what before, a few minutes later, the engine roared.

"Apparently you know how to jump-start a car as well," said Thor astounded.

"We learn a lot in training," said Red as Thor and Loki got into the back of the car and Red put it into drive, pulling out from the lot and heading towards the desert highway. "Quite useful – and ironic, actually, now that you think about it."

"So, where to?" asked Thor. He glanced at Loki but got no support. Loki was still pettily angry enough with Red to play the silent game for a few more minutes.

"The city," said Red. "We go to our rendezvous spot, a small apartment where we planned our schemes. He won't be there now."

"How do you know?" asked Thor.

"It was all part of the plan," said Red. "We did the first three killing sprees here. We figured by that time local S.H.I.E.L.D. would have so much security swarming we'd never be able to finish in New Mexico. He's moved on to a different S.H.I.E.L.D. location to continue his killings."

"Where?" asked Thor.

"Don't know," said Red. "He never told me. Let's hope we can find out."

At that, Loki glanced up and made sure Red saw him in the rear-view mirror as he shot her an icy glare.

"He never told you?" he said. "And here I was, believing you were actually rather smart … for a mortal."

"What?" spat Red.

"He quite deliberately kept the next stage of this plan hidden from you," said Loki. "Please tell me you found that to be at least _slightly_ suspicious; I cannot bear to have trusted the proving of my innocence to someone so potentially _daft_."

"You're anything but innocent," quipped Red.

"Again, kettle – pot," said Loki, using a Midgard saying which for the occasion he felt was rather appropriate.

"Again, need my – help," parroted Red, shooting him nasty looks in the mirror.

"All right, you two," interrupted Thor. "Save this for later. We cannot have you fighting in the midst of all this. Agent Red," he said, leaning forward, "I do hope you realize that when we catch the killer I will have no choice but to take you back to S.H.I.E.L.D. along with him. You both need to answer for your crimes."

_Oh yes, ingenious, Thor_, thought Loki, _TELL the homicidal backstabbing murderer that. Brilliant_.

"Sure," said Red, feigning innocence, and there was that slightly crazy look in her eyes again. "I get that."

"And you will desist your bickering?" insisted Thor, glancing at both of them.

"Sure, I will if he will," said Red.

"Very well," said Loki, giving a fake smile.

They sat for a minute or so in complete silence. Then …

"'That bitch Red'?" quoted Red, looking at Loki in the rear-view mirror again, right eyebrow raised.

"I spoke from the heart," said Loki.

* * *

**I know, I know, this is a chapter with what could kind of be described as just one, long scene. But I like it. And _finally_ I got to show you a bit more of my Red. Let me know what you think about her; she's a bit of a challenge to get right when I write.**

**Oh, and also: Red and Loki bickering = comic relief. More of that to come.  
**


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